(Above: The dough used to make these canapés is sweet and rich.)
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Sometimes you don’t know what you have until you look through your old cookbook collection. I was perusing my collection of approximately 100 books when I discovered this gem from 1963: “The Boston Globe Cookbook for Brides.”
At first I thought maybe I had picked it up at a library book sale a few years ago but then I opened it and discovered my mother’s signature on the title page (see photo at right). She passed away some 31 years ago in 1988, so seeing her signature after all these years was a little surprising and emotional.
Published in 1963, this was analog social media as the recipes were submitted by readers to “Confidential Chat,” found in the “women’s pages” of the Boston Globe.
I planned to look through it more carefully and see if I can find a recipe or two that she made. But first I was on a mission to find an appetizer and so this one caught my eye: mushroom turnovers. It looked easy enough and didn’t seem like it would take too long to make.
These are really canapés. Turnovers conjure up something much larger in my mind and these delicious treats are small, just three-inches long.
They’re perfect for a cocktail party or as an appetizer before a dinner party. But be careful, eating three or four might ruin your appetite for dinner.
The dough is an interesting one. It’s made with cream cheese, butter, and flour, so it’s a little sweet and very rich. Already, I’m thinking of other ways to use it: maybe by filling it with a small piece of ham and some swiss cheese; and maybe by adding a bit of rosemary to the dough. I’ll keep you posted if I try that concoction.
These take a little work to make but it’s fun work. After refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes, you roll it out and then cut it with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. I don’t have one of those, so I used a 3-inch mug and it worked perfectly.
Put a little filling (about 1/2 tsp.) on each round; fold it over to form a crescent; and use a fork to seal the edges. Then prick the top with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape when you bake them.
Bake them in a very hot oven (450 degrees) for about 15 minutes, until golden brown on top. Don’t turn them over as they won’t look as good. I made that mistake with one batch, but discovered that they tasted just as good.
Mushroom Turnovers (canapés)
Ingredients
- For the dough:
- Cream cheese, 9 oz.
- Butter, softened, 1/2 cup
- Flour, 1 1/2 cups
- For the filling:
- Butter, 3 tbsp.
- Onion, chopped, 1 medium or half of a large onion.
- Mushrooms, chopped, 1/2 pound (about 6 large)
- Thyme, 1/4 tsp.
- Salt, 1/2 tsp.
- Pepper, to taste
- Flour, 2 tbsp.
- Sour cream (or sweet cream), 1/4 cup
Directions
- Step 1 To make the turnovers: Mix the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with a fork.
- Step 2 Add sifted flour and combine together with a pastry blender or with your hands.
- Step 3 Chill in a refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Step 4 Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Step 5 Roll dough to 1/8-inch thick on floured surface and cut into 3-inch rounds using a 3-inch biscuit cutter (or a glass or a mug).
- Step 6 Place a tsp. of mushroom filling (see below) on each round and fold dough over. Seal with a fork. Prick each turnover with a knife to allow steam to escape when baking.
- Step 7 Place turnovers on an un-greased cookie sheet and bake until lightly brown (about 15 minutes).
- Step 8 To make the mushroom filling: Heat butter, add onion and brown lightly.
- Step 9 Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often (about 3 minutes).
- Step 10 Add thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Step 11 Stir in flour and then cream. Cook gently until thickened.
