Fyldte Champignoner med Danablu

Mushroom season in Denmark begins in late August and runs through October, when the forests of Sjaelland and Jutland turn cool and damp and the foragers come back with baskets full of karl johan and trompeter. Most home cooks aren't out hunting in the woods, but the season still announces itself at the markets, where the cultivated champignons suddenly look better, firmer, denser, and the urge to do something with them follows. This is when fyldte champignoner come back to the table.

The dish belongs to the world of forretter, the small starters that begin a Danish dinner party before the main course arrives. It's the kind of bite you make when friends are coming over and you want something warm to put in their hands while they take off their coats. Danablu, Denmark's great blue cheese, is the heart of the filling, and it does most of the work for you. Mash it with butter, stir in some softened shallot and chives, mound it into the caps, and bake until the tops go amber. That's the whole technique.

There are two things to pay attention to. The first is the moisture in the mushrooms, which is the difference between a filling that holds and a filling that weeps. The second is the temperature of the cheese before you mix it. I'll walk you through both. The season decides when to make this, but once the mushrooms are good, the rest is easy. Tak for mad before you've even sat down.