Baked Mushroom Dip

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 1 lb (454 g) cremini (baby bella) mushrooms
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, finely diced (about 1/3 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp dry white wine or dry sherry (or chicken broth)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 8 oz (226 g) full-fat block cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream
• 1/4 cup (60 g) mayonnaise
• 1 cup (4 oz / 113 g) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1/3 cup (35 g) finely grated Parmesan, divided
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup (15 g) panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, for the topping
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
• Toasted baguette slices, crackers or vegetables, for serving

How to make baked mushroom dip

1. Step 1.

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 1 1/2-quart baking dish or a 10-inch oven-safe skillet.

2. Step 2.

   Finely chop the mushrooms into pieces about 1/4 inch across, using a knife or by pulsing in a food processor in two batches.

3. Step 3.

   Heat 1 tablespoon butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring only every minute or so, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the liquid they release has evaporated and the mushrooms are deeply browned.

4. Step 4.

   Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes, until soft. Stir in the garlic and thyme for 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes until the pan is dry. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.

5. Step 5.

   In a large bowl, stir the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, Gruyère, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth. Fold in the cooled mushrooms.

6. Step 6.

   Spread into the baking dish. Toss the panko with the melted butter and the remaining Parmesan and sprinkle over the top.

7. Step 7.

   Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until the edges are bubbling and the topping is deep golden. Rest for 5 minutes, scatter with parsley and serve warm.

Cook the water out first

Raw mushrooms are about 90 percent water. Stirred straight into cream cheese, they release that water in the oven and leave a soupy dip with a pale surface. Recipes that sauté the mushrooms first agree on this, and the stage worth learning is the one in which the pan goes from wet to dry. As the mushrooms heat, they release liquid, which pools and simmers. Keep cooking, and the liquid disappears and the pieces start to brown. That browning is where the flavor comes from, and it takes about 8 to 10 minutes in a wide pan.

Chop small, cook wide, stir rarely

Finely chopped mushrooms give the dip a spreadable texture, with no large pieces to slide off a cracker. A wide skillet gives them room to brown instead of steaming on top of each other, so use your biggest pan or cook in two batches. Stirring constantly keeps them from browning; leaving them for a minute at a time lets them touch the hot surface.

Deglaze for depth

After the shallot and garlic, a splash of dry white wine or sherry dissolves the browned layer from the bottom of the pan, which adds sweet, concentrated flavor to the dip. Chicken broth works for the same job without the alcohol. Cook until the pan is dry again, since extra liquid is the thing this recipe is built to avoid.

A creamy base with some backbone

Cream cheese gives the dip body, and sour cream and a little mayonnaise loosen it and add tang, so it does not set up like cheesecake. Gruyère adds a nutty, melty character that complements mushrooms, and Parmesan adds salt and savory depth. Cool the mushrooms for 10 minutes before folding them in. Hot mushrooms melt the cream cheese into an oily mixture that bakes up greasy.

The panko top

The breadcrumb layer gives a crisp contrast to the creamy dip. Toss the panko with melted butter and Parmesan before scattering it, so it browns evenly. If it darkens before the dip is bubbling around the edges, cover the dish loosely with foil.

Making ahead, serving and storing

The assembled dip, without the panko topping, can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Add the topping just before baking, and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer if it goes in cold. Serve it with toasted baguette slices, sturdy crackers, pita chips or raw vegetables. Leftovers keep refrigerated for 3 days; reheat at 350°F for 15 minutes. The texture does not hold up to freezing.

Variations

Mixed mushrooms: replace up to a third of the cremini with shiitake caps for a stronger, more savory flavor. Remove the shiitake stems, which are tough.

No alcohol: use chicken or vegetable broth in place of the wine.

Smoky: add 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika to the cream cheese mixture.