Stuffed Champignons (Honey Goat cheese, Pancetta)

A little history first

Champignon also called in the US white mushroom, Italian mushroom... is called in France "Champignon de Paris" (mushroom from Paris). Unfortunately this mushroom seems to come more specifically from Saumur (a beautiful town with a rich history, wine and culinary production...), in the Pays de la Loire region. Apparently one of King Louis XIV's gardeners cultivated this mushroom!

You will probably laugh but France is the fourth producer of Champignons in the world. The major part is "made in China" :-), followed by the United States and the Netherlands!

At maturity, this mushroom becomes what we call here: a Portobello.

A few facts

You can eat champignons raw in salads, or cooked.
They really don't have a lot calories: 3.5 oz has about 15 calories, no carbs, no fat, 0.1 oz of protein and is a nice source of Vitamin D.

The recipe Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: approx. 15 minutes Cost: $$

Ingredients: For approx. 6 servings
- Some lemon juice or red / white vinegar (to wash the mushrooms)
- 24 oz of fresh white mushrooms
- 1 small shallot
- Olive oil
- 5 oz of Pancetta (or finely chopped bacon for a cheaper alternative)
- 3 oz of goat cheese (you can find some really good one at Costco!)
- 2 oz of sour cream
- Half tea spoon of honey
- 2 table spoons of grated Parmesan
- A pinch of pepper and an even smaller pinch of salt
- Optional seasoning: a pinch of basil, thyme, fennel, lavender (I add all of them).


Preparation and Cooking:

- Wash mushrooms in a water with some lemon juice or red or white vinegar (so they will not darken).
- Dice very finely the shallot.
- In a skillet, add some olive oil, over medium heat, add the shallots and diced Pancetta.
- Turn occasionally for approx. 8 minutes or until it has browned. Then put on low heat to keep it warm.
- In the meantime, preheat oven to 400° F and remove stems from mushrooms.
- Add salt, pepper and herbs to the shallots and Pancetta.
- Add the goat cheese, sour cream and honey and stir.
- Once the whole mixture has melted, you can stuff the mushrooms with a spoon.
- Add a drop of olive oil on each mushroom and put sparingly the Parmesan on top of them.
- Put it in the oven 10 to 15 minutes.
- Tip you can present the mushrooms on top of a think layer of Arugula.