Mushroom Pie

The perfect dish for a special occasion, or for a regular old weeknight – Mushroom Pie is an easy yet decadent side to accompany any meal!

Before anything else though, I want to show you guys a picture of my mom. This is the third recipe of hers that I'm sharing and I want to keep honoring my amazing mother as best as I can. Recently my dad came across this picture of her in the kitchen of our old house and it just made me so incredibly happy. She looks so young! Here she is, probably about to cook up some incredible dinner:

This is just such an accurate peek into our old lives. I love the little kid-made crafts on the windowsill and hanging from the cabinet. I remember that faded old shirt that she wore all the time; Mom used to joke that it was her "uniform." The Southern Living cookbook is propped up in the back, full of sticky notes marking her favorite recipes. Anyway, I love you, Mom. I hope you would have liked this blog.

Ok! Now onto the Mushroom Pie!

Mom used to make this amazing pie as a side dish for special occasions. I think she used to make it a lot around the holidays! This past holiday season, I was craving this pie in a bad way. I couldn't stop thinking about how much I missed it and how much it would really feel like Christmas if I could have my mom's Mushroom Pie. But I didn't have the recipe, so it seemed that was not to be.

Well, funny thing...I went to visit my sweet Aunt Barbara – my mom's sister – near the holidays and I hadn't been in her house ten minutes before she said, "Oh you must be hungry! I have some mushroom pie in the fridge; would you like some?" I was absolutely blown away. Not only did my aunt have the recipe, but she had made some recently and heated up a slice for me when I came to visit. It truly felt like my Mom was saying hello. She knew how much I was craving her pie and so she pulled a few strings from heaven to make it happen.

That night, I took a picture of the recipe...thus the Christmas tablecloth and my red sparkly nails!

I vowed to make some for myself and my husband as soon as we got home from our travels, and I did!

Start by dicing one yellow or white onion and sautéing it in 1/3 cup of butter (I told you this was decadent!), until the onions are transparent. Then add one pound of sliced mushrooms and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't you just love the smell of sautéed onions? It makes the whole kitchen so fragrant! I also deviated from the recipe a bit here by adding a sprinkling of dried parsley. I like the way it turned out, so you can too!

Next, add one tablespoon of flour and 1/2 cup of light cream (I actually used half and half); bring to a boil. Next...my favorite step! Add in 1 tablespoon (or more, if you're feeling naughty) of congac, sherry, or bourbon. I used sherry and it was delicious. It smells SO good and it just elavates the flavor the a heavenly level. Salt and pepper to taste!

Now, if you're a master pastry chef or someone in possession of oodles of free time, you can make your own pastry for a 2-crust, 8" pie. However, I am neither, so I bought my pie crusts premade. Whatever floats your boat! Remove the filling from the heat and let cool while you assemble your crusts.

Press one of the crusts into your pan, then pour the filling on top. Next, press the other pie crust onto the top and crimp the edges of the two crusts together with your hands. Does anyone else always think of Snow White and her woodland helpers when they crimp pie dough? No? Just me?

Next, brush the top of your pie with milk or a bit of egg. I chose egg! That'll give it that gorgeous sheen on top when it comes out of the oven.

Amateur chef confession: at this point, I cut a few slits in the top to let the pie vent in the oven, even though the recipe didn't call for that. I don't know why, maybe Snow White told me to. But I think that might have been a mistake, because my pie looked a little deflated when it came out of the oven. Maybe it would have been plumper if I hadn't cut the slits? I have no idea. If you know if the slits deflated my pie, let me know in the comments!

Finally, bake your pie on the lowest shelf in the oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Serve and enjoy!

Voilà ! Isn't it gorgeous? Like I said, it was a tiny bit deflated, but it still tasted AMAZING. I think my husband and I both had second helpings that night.

This is a great side dish for any kind of hearty, roasted meat entrée, in my opinion. The night I made this pie, I served it with some roasted chicken and brussle sprouts. And it was a perfect meal.

The pie also keeps really well in the fridge for about a week, so it's great to make ahead of time and reheat over the week for an easy side dish! I hope you love this pie as much as I do. If you end up making it, let me know how it turns out in the comments below! XOXO

Mushroom Pie

Serves: 8

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 20 min

Total time: 40 min

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter

• 1 or 2 medium onions (yellow or white), chopped

• 1 pound of mushrooms, sliced

• 1 teaspoon of dried parsley (optional)

• 1 tablespoon of flour

• 1/2 cup of light cream

• 1 tablespoon of sherry (or cognac, or bourbon)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Pastry for a 2-crust, 8" pie

Directions

1. Sauté the onion in butter until transparent

2. Add the mushrooms and cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally

3. Stir in the flour, add the cream, and bring to a boil

4. Add the dried parsley, if desired

5. Stir in sherry (or cognac or bourbon) and salt and pepper

6. Cool while making (or assembling) pastry

7. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

8. Line pan with pastry, then pour the mushroom mixture on top

9. Cover top with the rest of the pastry, crimping edges together

10. Brush top with milk or egg

11. Bake on lowest oven shelf for 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown

12. Serve and enjoy!