With New Year's Eve approaching, another whirlwind season of winter holiday entertaining comes to an end. After all the formal sit-down feasts I love to keep things casual on NYE with a spread of fun finger foods. A varied selection of cured meats, imported cheeses, and interesting hors d'oeuvres keep guests fed while encouraging them to mingle. These elegant stuffed mushrooms, with fresh herbs and pine nuts, are always a crowd pleaser. A pinch of parmesan cheese baked on top gives them a delightful crunch.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ pounds cremini mushrooms

4 tablespoons butter, divided

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1/3 cup coarsely chopped shallots

1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup coarsely chopped celery

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 bay leaf

¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley

1 egg, lightly beaten

¼ cup plain breadcrumbs

¼ cup grated gruyere or gouda

2 tablespoons pine nuts, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons grated parmesan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. (See notes).

Gently clean any dirt off the mushrooms with a damp paper towel or a soft brush. Carefully remove the stems, rocking back and forth with your fingers until they pop out of the caps. Coarsely chop the stems and set aside in a bowl.

Heat one tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the mushroom caps, top side down. You might need to work in two batches. Season with black pepper and a squeeze of the lemon juice. Cook until the bottoms start to lightly brown, and the caps release some moisture, about 3 minutes. Then flip the caps and cook for another minute or two. Work carefully to keep the caps intact. Set caps on a paper towel lined platter to absorb any liquid.

Heat another tablespoon of butter in the skillet over medium heat, then add the shallots and garlic. When the shallots begin to soften add the chopped mushroom stems. Cook, stirring often, as the mushrooms release moisture. Add the celery, thyme, bay leaf and season to taste with salt. Continue to cook until the vegetables are tender, about another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

Add the shallot and mushroom mixture to the bowl of a food processor with the parsley. Process until mixture is a fine puree. Return the mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes. If the pan looks a little dry add some olive oil or more butter. Stir in the remaining lemon juice and the breadcrumbs, cooking for another minute. Take pan off the heat and stir in the cheese and pine nuts. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed. When seasoned to taste, stir in the egg. If the filling seems too loose, add a bit more breadcrumbs.

Use a spoon to stuff the caps with the filling, about 1 to 2 heaping teaspoons per cap. Smooth the filling into mounds and sprinkle the tops with the grated parmesan cheese. Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the tops of each mushroom with some of the melted butter and arrange the caps on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake in hot oven until the tops are golden and crispy, and the caps are evenly browned, about 15 to 25 minutes. Allow caps to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:

When shopping for mushrooms, pick fully intact mushrooms that are all about the same size. If you cannot find brown cremini mushrooms, you could use plain white button mushrooms.

The pine nuts are optional and can be substituted with chopped walnuts.

For party planning, you could assemble these stuffed mushrooms up to a day in advance. Fully fill the caps and top with the parmesan and melted butter. Then transfer the unbaked caps to a paper towel lined plastic container in a single layer. Make sure the filling is completely cool before you seal with an airtight lid and chill until ready to use. When ready to bake, pull the caps out of the refrigerator and let them come to temperature on the counter while you preheat the oven.

Enjoy. Wishing my readers a safe and happy New Year.