Battered Mushrooms

An appetizer is the first impression of is to come in the meal.  Eye appeal is a must with appetizers also known as hors d'oeuvres or starters.  In general the heavier the meal the lighter the appetizer and the appetizer should provide a contrast to the main course.  Appetizers may be hot or cold, simple or elegant providing the home cook a great creative opportunity.

Battered or breaded mushrooms are a popular appetizer in many restaurants.  Like many restaurant appetizers they tend to be a bit on the expensive side usually costing about $6 for six battered mushrooms or $1 each.  Battered mushrooms have a lighter, crispier coating than breaded mushrooms.  Both are usually served with some type of dip, quite often ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Whether battered or breaded, deep fried mushrooms are very easy and inexpensive to make at home.   There are a variety of batters that can be used for battered mushrooms including pancake mix.   Once coated with the batter, the mushooms can be rolled in fine bread crumbs before frying if desired.  We used the seafood breader mix from our last trip to our vacation home foodie finds for the batter.  We did not roll the coated mushrooms in bread crumb.  The mushrooms were deep fried at 375ºF (190ºC) until golden brown then drained and served with René's caesar dressing.  These mouthwatering morsels were absolutely delightful!