While I had this for dinner, I might call this my new favorite appetizer. I will absolutely be making this again – and in literally as many seasons as I can. It’s kind of the appetizer opportunity for getting rid of the “extra leftover veggies” in your fridge. Except for the fact that I just never got around to cooking with these aspirational veggies. Aspirational veggies are the ones that you see in the store, aren’t on your list, you buy them … and then you eat Kraft Mac and Cheese.
But for New Years Eve, it seems appropriate to cook something and I do love to cook. I was originally going to make something that took hours to cook because it also felt appropriate – but time slipped away collecting sea glass and watching Hallmark movies. I found this gem on Food52 early in the day and knew that I’d love it. I still have no idea what a “confit” is but it almost sounds like confetti and that is really appropriate for New Years Eve.
A few things about this recipe:
- FAST // You can be done with this in less than 25 minutes – and people will be really impressed. People are always impressed when you say “brown butter”
- CARBS // this has to be eaten with some toast or crackers – and preferably something with minimal seasoning. Just cut up some sourdough bread or use like basic sea salt crackers.
- BUTTER // So, I’m probably never going to say this again but you don’t need a lot of brown butter for this – in fact I think I added too much to my little dish.
Here’s how it goes.
- To make the vegetable park: combine the oil, red pepper, and garlic in a medium heat skillet until the garlic is lightly toasted. Add the mushrooms, asparagus and wine and cover. Adjust the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Let cook until the mushrooms have softened (approx 5 minutes).
- Uncover and let the pan cook until the wine has evaporated. Pull from the heat but keep warm until ready to serve.
- To make the balsamic brown butter sauce, in a small pot, melt the butter over low heat and cook, stirring, until deep brown. I always think it starts to smell a bit nutty. Remove from the heat and let cool for 2 minutes. Add the balsamic and a touch of pepper.
- To make the ricotta: Set the broiler to high heat. Either put the ricotta into individual ramekins or 1 larger dish – up to you. Broil until browned across the top (5 – 20 minutes depending on what size dish you use).
- To plate, just put you veggies on your ricotta and then drizzle with the brown butter. Serve with crackers or toasted bread.
Shopping List (for 4 servings)
For the mushroom confit:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 pound button mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the balsamic brown butter sauce
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
16 ounces ricotta
sea salt
Grilled bread or sliced baguette, for serving