Creamy Mushroom Dip with Gruyere and Parmesan Cheese

Here’s the deal… this dish is cheesy, creamy, buttery, and served with bread, so I would be lying if I said it was healthy. But sometimes we need to give ourselves a break and INDULGE. This was another quarantine-concoction, that turned out to be gloriously delicious. I’ve now made it a few different ways, but this is our favourite method!

Since we started our weekly “Appy Friday” tradition (where we only eat appetizers for dinner), we’ve been trying out all sorts of things in the kitchen. This dish was inspired by a recipe for Vincisgrassi in one of my favourite cookbook’s, “How to Eat a Peach”, along with our favourite appetizer from Hearth Restaurant, here in Saskatoon. The basic idea is to create a mushroomy cheese sauce, from a béchamel. A simple solution for a big craving!

The base for this dish is simple and could be adjusted, depending on what you have in the fridge. It’s really just a white sauce, with a combination of dairy and flavourful stock. You could substitute milk for both the cream and stock, but you’ll lose some of the savoury flavour that the stock lends to the dish. In this case, you could bring 1 1/4 cups of whole milk to a simmer in a separate pot, with one halved shallot, a bay leaf, and some peppercorns, then remove it from the heat, cover, and let it stand for 20-30 minutes before using. This will infuse the milk with some of the flavours that are achieved in the stock, to create more depth in the dish. This is a lovely way to achieve the same outcome, but if you have some stock on-hand, you’ll eliminate that extra effort. The main concern is that the sauce thickens enough for this to become a cheesy dip that isn’t too soupy.

You can use any mushrooms for this, really. My go-to is a combination of oyster and shiitake, or locally foraged mushrooms, if available! My next choice would be a combination of some brown cremini and rehydrated wild mushrooms. This recipe calls for 100grams, but if you’re a mushroom lover, don’t hesitate to go a little heavier.

Print Recipe

Creamy Mushroom Dip with Gruyere and Parmesan Cheese

This rich and indulgent mushroom dip is the ultimate comfort for a rainy spring evening!

Course Appetizer

Keyword Cheesy Mushrom Dip, Creamy Mushroom Dip, Gruyere, Mushroom Dip, Mushrooms, Parmesan

Author Alexandra Joy

Ingredients

• 100 grams Mushrooms, I like a mix of oyster and shittake
• 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, divided
• 2 Tbsp Sage, chopped
• 2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
• 3/4 Cup Half and Half Cream
• 1/2 Cup Homemade Stock, (or preferred store-bought)
• 1 Cup Gruyere , grated
• 1/2 Cup Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 3-4 Large Slices Quality Sourdough, halved, toasted, and lightly rubbed with whole raw garlic

Instructions

• Slice the mushrooms into approximately 1/4-inch pieces. I like to keep some of the smaller, more "picturesque" mushrooms whole, to place on top of the dip at the end.
• Tip: If you're using a small skillet, you can do the mushrooms in two batches to avoid crowding. The goal here is to get them nicely browned, but if there are too many in the pan, they'll simply steam.
• Place a skillet over medium heat, and wait until it's very hot. Add 2 tbsps of the butter (it should start to bubble and foam immediately), followed by the mushrooms, stirring to coat. Continue to stir the mushrooms periodically, until they start to brown nicely. Season with salt and pepper, then add the sage and continue to sauté until the sage has softened and darkened in colour (about 30 seconds to a minute). Transfer to a plate or cutting board, and set aside.
• Place a saucepan over medium heat. Once it's very hot, add the butter. When the butter is melted and foaming, add the flour and immediately start to vigorously whisk. Continue to whisk for about 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture has darkened. This is important so the dip does not taste "floury".
• Remove the saucepan from the heat as you begin adding the cream and whisk vigorously to ensure no clumping. It will start thickening very quickly. Return it to the heat as you continue to whisk in the cream, followed by the stock. If the mixture is not yet thick, allow it to come to a boil, then lower it to a simmer, continuing to whisk so the bottom doesn't burn. Add the cheese, stirring until it's melted, followed by the mushrooms (reserving some for garnish if you like).
• Season the dip to taste, then pour it into a small serving dish and garnish with reserved mushrooms, and extra sage (optional). Serve with 3-4 slices of quality sourdough, halved, toasted, and rubbed lightly with whole raw garlic.
• Enjoy!