Josie at Pink Parsley shares the recipe for wild mushroom and goat cheese quesadillas with cranberry-pecan salsa (we shortened the title):

Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quesadillas with Cranberry-Pecan Salsa
adapted from The Pastry Queen Christmas, by Rebecca Rather
4-6 main course servings, or 24 appetizers.

Cranberry-Pecan Salsa

• 1/2 cup whole pecans
• 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups fresh  cranberries
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Arrange the pecans on a baking sheet and toast 7-9 minutes, until deeper brown and aromatic.  Cool, and coarsely chop.

Combine the vinegar, olive oil, sugar, mustard, orange zest and juice, and salt and pepper in a food processor.  Process until well combined, about 30 seconds.  Add the cranberries, shallot, and jalapeno, and pulse to coarsely chop.

Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.  When ready to serve, fold in pecans.

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds mixed wild and commercial mushrooms, sliced (stem the shiitakes)
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 8 8-inch flour tortillas
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded monterey jack cheese 
• 3 cups (15 ounces) crumbled fresh goat cheese

Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and saute about 4 minutes, until softened.  Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, and Worcestershire sauce, and saute an additional 5 minutes.  Add the white wine and pepper, and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, at least 5 minutes.

While the mushrooms cook, coat a griddle or large skillet with cooking spray and heat to high heat.  Reduce heat to medium when it is preheated.

Lay a tortilla flat on the cooking surface, and sprinkle 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese over the whole tortilla.  Top half with about 1/3 cup of the mushroom mixture, then sprinkle with a thin layer of goat cheese.  Use a stiff spatula and fold each tortilla in half.  Cook until light brown and crisp on the bottom, then carefully flip and cook until the other side has browned.

Transfer to a plate and keep warm in the oven.  Repeat with remaining tortillas. 

To serve, cut each into 3-4 wedges, and serve with salsa for dipping. 

Related Posts

1. Mushroom and Goat Risotto
2. Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Pasta with Goat Cheese
3. Goat Cheese Mushrooms
4. Goat Cheese Truffles
5. Goat Cheese Polenta

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 9th, 2010 at 1:56 pm and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.