December's holiday party was rather large with twenty of us. Since 20 is tough to seat for dinner, the hosts went with a more casual theme- a couple different kinds of fondue and lots of other appetizers. My task: to bring sixty Pancetta- Wrapped Mushrooms. I was delighted to find that this was a simple appetizer to prepare for this busy time of year.
I was thrilled to find that this recipe called for fresh sage as I have loads of it growing like weeds in my courtyard.
Regular, medium-sized white mushrooms are all you need (I used a few baby portobellos too). They just get a quick wash and a trimmed stem.
The sage leaf is simply laid on top of a mushroom.
A piece of pancetta (or bacon) is wrapped tightly around. I left the sage leaf peeking out of the side since I wanted that color to show a bit.
All is secured with a toothpick pushed down into the mushroom from the top.
Here they are.... awaiting the oven.
They're baked for about 25 minutes, until the bacon becomes crisp and browned. Sadly, I didn't capture a beautiful picture of the finished product... we were eager to eat and the lighting was dimmed for the party. They were excellent, and they were gobbled up rather quickly by our gourmet friends.
Our hosts had a fabulous idea for a holiday 'gift' activity. They had each of us bring a wrapped toy that represented our personality. We then took turns unwrapping the toys and guessed which of our friends we thought the toy matched with. My wrapped toy wasn't hard to guess... an Easy-Bake Oven, and my gregarious, speaker husband wasn't too tough either... a play microphone. The activity generated a lot of laughs, and we ended up with 40 toys to donate to charity.The Pancetta- Wrapped Mushrooms recipe can be found HERE.
Lots more finger food appetizer recipes can be found HERE.
I love Gourmet Club! We have been in one for about 5 years now with the same people and we have so much fun. The mushrooms look wonderful!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely nice and yummy! Gloria
ReplyDeleteThat is such a great, great idea with the toys! And the mushrooms look great as well...easy and perfect for a large crowd.
ReplyDeleteNever have I seen such perfect and perfectly homogeneous sage leaves. How did you get those? They look like little yummy soldiers in a row. Great pic.
ReplyDeleteCONSUMED(I,THIS)
Seems such great fun :) the mushrooms look so nice and really easy to while being so eye catching :) thnks
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun & easy appetizer to make! I'll have to try this for the next holiday party...New Years! Hope you enjoyed the holidays.
ReplyDeleteLoved the idea for the mushrooms. I always have an abundance of sage in the herb garden. I will have to try this soon.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to enjoy mushrooms!
ReplyDeleteI love the toy part, that is really sweet and such a good way to collect for donation! These mushrooms look really adorable all wrapped up!
ReplyDeleteYum to the shrooms.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun gift "exchange" idea. And funny about the Easy Bake Oven, which is just what I would have picked for me and everyone would have guessed that. But even the microphone is a good one for my husband, a professor--that or maybe something really boring, like a kids bookkeeping kit/desk-I've seen those. My husband teaches accounting. zzzzz jk
The club sounds so fun!
Happy New Year!
What a great gift exchange idea!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun gathering this was and your mushrooms sound great.
ReplyDeleteYummy!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great appetizer! I love the toy idea, how fun!
ReplyDeleteGreat appy! Sounds like a wonderful gathering, and I love the toy donation idea... that must have been so fun!
ReplyDeleteOh, this sounds like a great dish. I'm meeting two friends for New Year's Eve this year and we are making a feast, which we've outlined on a collaborative Google doc. I think I might have to add these mushrooms to the menu. Happy New Year RecipeGirl!
ReplyDeleteSage is truly underused and adds such a great flavor!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun way to give to charity over the holidays. I wish there was a gourmey club close to here..perhaps I need to start one!!
ReplyDeleteYummy. Anything wrapped in bacon gets kudos in my book.
ReplyDeleteSIXTY of them? You are a patient woman.
What a great idea!!! Those mushrooms look so good!
ReplyDeleteI bet those tasted incredible! And I love that holiday game, what fun. Yes, Easy Bake Oven does seem to fit your personality, lol. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat gift idea! This year our family decided to have a book exchange. We're always looking for a new gifting idea so I'm going to keep the toy game in the back of my mind for next year.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the mushrooms look wonderful. Just so happens I have loads of mushrooms and sage. Perfect timing!
did you say you have loads and tons of sage growing in your yard!!?! Lucky you! I looove sage. Nice work on the mushrooms. Great poppers for party's.
ReplyDeletePerfect for parties!! Happy Holidays to you! Keep the wonderful recipes coming:)
ReplyDeleteThe mushrooms look like a great appetizer! Love the idea of a Gourmet Club and the gift exchange sound too fun!
ReplyDeleteRG,
ReplyDeleteI can't believe your sage is so beautiful! Each leaf perfect.
The mushrooms look nice and I am envious that you have a gourmet club with 22 people!
Wow!
Happy New Year!
Stacey Snacks
What a great appetizer, I'm think New Years Eve food!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun idea! Both the gourmet club and the donated gift one!
ReplyDeleteYour mushrooms look great! Everyone except the baby LOVES mushrooms!
Happy 2009!
~ingrid
I swore I commented here, I looked at these mushrooms 3 times! Yumm! Love the sage, and envious of your club! Happy New Year Lori!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun party Lori.. and those pancetta wrapped mushrooms look so SO good!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful idea to donate the gifts later..and we are a two easy bake oven family.. cute idea!
What a fun way to be generous! Kudos to you and your friends.
ReplyDeleteThe sage, ah the sage. I've so been enjoying it this season. What a great appetizer in every way.
What a great idea for the toys... fun and generous!
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