SHALLOTS GARLIC RECIPES

Steps:

• Blanch the string beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 1/2 minutes only. Drain immediately and immerse in a bowl of ice water.
• Heat the butter and oil in a very large saute pan (12-inch diameter) or large pot and saute the shallots on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned. Drain the string beans and add to the shallots with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper, tossing well. Heat only until the beans are hot.
• If you're using regular string beans, blanch them for about 3 minutes, until they're crisp-tender.

Steps:

• Pour the oil into a flat, shallow frying pan and place over a gentle heat. Finely slice the garlic and shallots and add to the pan. Fry gently for a few minutes, stirring occasionally and ensuring the garlic and shallots do not start to brown or burn.
• Prepare your mushrooms by gently wiping any dirt from their surfaces with a piece of kitchen towel - never wash mushrooms as they will absorb the water and become slimy. Slice the mushrooms into chunky pieces and add to the pan, stirring so that they become coated with the oil.
• Once the mushrooms have all started to colour, pour the glass of wine into the pan and turn the heat up so that the alcohol burns off and the liquid starts to reduce.
• After a few minutes, the mushrooms should be cooked, so turn the heat back down quite low and add the cream to the pan along with black pepper according to taste. Stir everything around and heat gently for a couple of minutes.
• Preheat the grill to high.
• Transfer the mushrooms and cream mixture to two shallow, heat-proof dishes. Spinkle the grated cheese over the top of each and place the dishes under the grill. Keep an eye on these so that they don't start to burn - it should only take a couple of minutes for the cheese to be browned and bubbling.
• Stand each dish on a large plate (don't forget to warn guests how hot the dishes will be!) and serve with granary toast for mopping up the sauce.
• Variations:
• Reduced fat cream such as Elmlea works perfectly in this dish if you are counting calories. You could also omit the cheese and skip instruction point 6.
• For a slightly sharper taste, try using creme fraiche in place of the cream.
• To make the dish more substantial, try using finely sliced baby leeks in place of the shallots.
• If you are fond of blue cheese, you could grate a strong cheese such as stilton over the mushrooms before grilling - this produces a much richer dish.