Ooh Mami, I did not Know you Could do it Like Dat!

A couple weekends ago, I went out to New Jersey to visit my mother and while I was milling around Penn Station, I bought a copy of Food & Wine magazine; mainly because it beat standing around, staring at the wall and twiddling my thumbs.
As I was flipping through the pages, I came across a recipe for Goat Cheese – Stuffed Mushrooms with Bread Crumbs (F&W, pg. 134); which immediately got me thinking. You see, several weeks ago, a friend of mine contacted me regarding recipes that involved goat cheese; and it was then that I started working on the Prosciutto-Wrapped Watermelon Stuffed with Goat Cheese & Jalapeño recipe. Today, I’m happy to say I’ve worked out a new recipe which combines my love of bacon with the mushrooms and goat cheese from FW’s recipe…I call them Umami Bites. They combine the meaty taste of the mushrooms with creamy goat cheese, savory bacon and a bit of sweetness from Grade B maple syrup. For those of you not familiar with it, Grade B maple syrup is a darker, thicker late-harvested syrup that is traditionally used in cooking, but as far as I’m concerned is pretty damn tasty on waffles or French toast too.

Umami Bites

24 Large Cremini Mushrooms (stems removed)
4-5 Slices – Bacon
6 oz – Goat Cheese
4 Tbsp – Grade B Maple Syrup
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice bacon crosswise into ¼ - inch strips, then fry until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, allow to cool and reserve rendered fat. Quickly sauté mushroom caps in bacon fat, seasoning with salt and pepper, until slightly soft and dark. Remove from pan and place in an oven safe dish or baking sheet. Place mushrooms in the oven for approximately 10 minutes. While mushroom caps are cooking, combine remaining ingredients (goat cheese, bacon and Grade B maple syrup), if necessary, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. When mushroom caps are cooked, remove from oven and immediately place filling inside. Serve warm or at room temperature.