Roasted Mushrooms w/ Chèvre & Rosemary from "Ratatouille"

          Ah, "Ratatouille", a Disney/Pixar animated film centering on the glorious, sensory smorgasbord of food and following your inner creative cook. At some point I'll do the film's name-sake dish, but I wanted to try one of the other delicious sounding foods first. Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) just makes the mushroom and chèvre combination sound so good. I was not able to channel the lightning bolt though (or cook it on a rooftop).

"You found cheese? And not just any cheese. Tomme de chèvre de pays! That would go beautifully with my mushroom. And...this rosemary! This rosemary with maybe, maybe a few drops from this sweet grass! ...There are possibilities unexplored here ...You've got to taste this! ...It's got this kind of...burn-y, melty...not really a smoky taste ...It's kind of like...this 'ba-boom, zap' kind of taste. Don't you think? What would you call that flavor? Lightning-y? Yeah. It's lightning-y! ...I know what this needs! Saffron! A little saffron would make this!"

–Remy, Disney/Pixar's "Ratatouille" (2007)

          FYI, there is an official Disney "Ratatouille" cookbook, What's Cooking? A Cookbook for Kids, with introduction and recipe by award-winning chef Thomas Keller, who was instrumental (along with a few others) in helping the Pixar staff get the food in the film just right, including the signature ratatouille recipe. I've just ordered a copy of the cookbook (used because it seems to be out of print) so I'll do a review post and recipe highlight–most probably ratatouille–sometime soon.

Note: If you're able to find the special, daffodil-esque mushroom Remy does–a chanterelle (or girolle)–stuff it with the filling below, and then skewer and roast it over an open flame, slowly turning it until it's golden brown. Also, in lieu of sweet grass (which was at one time used in France to flavor candy, soft drinks, tobacco, and scent perfume) I've used a little bit of honey in the recipe below instead.

Remi's Lightning-y Mushrooms w/ Chèvre & Rosemary

---

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Small Portobello Mushrooms (or Chanterelle/Girolle Mushrooms, if you can find them)
1/2 Cup Chèvre (or Tomme de Chèvre)
2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary ~ 2" long + 1 tsp. Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped + more for garnish
1 tsp. Honey
1/4 tsp. Fine Sea Salt
1/4 tsp. Saffron, loose & broken up (optional, because Remy doesn't have any, but he wishes he did)

Directions:
1. Heat your oven to 425ºF. In a small pot over medium heat, cook the oil & rosemary sprigs until the sprigs are crispy. Remove the sprigs to a paper towel & discard or eat.
2. Rinse, pat dry, & remove the stems of the mushrooms. Roll the mushrooms around in the pot of oil using tongs or a spoon until the outsides are completely coated & then place the mushrooms on a baking tray, bottoms up.
3. In a small bowl, mix the chèvre, honey, salt, chopped rosemary, & optional saffron bits until well combined. Equally distribute the mixture between the mushrooms, gently pressing it to make it more compact.
4. Slide the tray into the oven & bake for 10-15 minutes or until the chèvre mixture develops golden spots. Broil for ~1 minute longer to get golden brown spots. Remove from oven & let cool for a few minutes, until warm. Garnish with short sprigs of fresh rosemary. Revel in the flavor sensation.