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FOR THE LOVE OF MUSHROOM PIZZA (RECIPE)
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3 portobello mushroom caps
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound pizza dough, preferably whole wheat
1/2 cup crème fraiche, plus more for garnish
1/2 recipe Mushroom Saute, recipe follows
10 ounces grated whole milk mozzarella
4 ounces grated provolone
4 ounces grated aged provolone
Wine Sauces, recipe follows

Special equipment: heart-shaped cookie cutter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Slice portobellos crosswise to make 6 rounds. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Cook portobello rounds, in batches, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain and cut out heart shapes with a cookie cutter. Set aside.

Shape dough out onto a round 14-inch pizza screen or pan. Spoon a thin layer of creme fraiche onto the dough. Spread Mushroom Saute over the pizza. Sprinkle pizza evenly with the three cheeses and top with Portobello hearts.

Bake the pizza for about 15 minutes, or until the cheeses are melted and lightly browned. Remove pizza from the oven, drizzle zig zag lines of both red wine sauces, dot with creme fraiche and serve.

Mushroom Saute:
4 ounces (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup chopped garlic
2 pounds white mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute about 1 to 2 minutes without browning the garlic. Add mushrooms and cook until all the liquid is reduced. Add the black pepper, parsley, and heavy cream, cook for 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Cool until needed.

*Note: recipe will make enough for more than one pizza. Mixture can be frozen for future pizzas, used in a pasta dish with a little extra cream and additional ingredients, or it can also be used as the base for a world class cream of mushroom soup!

Yield: enough for 2 pizzas

Wine Sauces:
2 (750-ml) bottles red wine (2 different varietals)
1 cup crème fraiche

In 2 separate saucepans, bring each wine to a boil. Boil to reduce each to about 2 ounces.

Combine 1/2 cup crème fraiche with 1 ounce of first red wine reduction. Add small amounts of the remaining 1 ounce of the reduction to taste. Do the same with the second red wine reduction.

Yield: about 3/4 cup of each sauce

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END OF RECIPE
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