Eat, Drink, and Be Scary Appetizers

Every year at our Halloween party I end up serving something topped or filled with Madeira Mushrooms. Why? Because I love them and so, apparently, do my adult party guests.

This year my guests will dine on Madeira Mushroom filled Won Tons that are, of course, decorated for Halloween. A store-bought rubber stamp brushed with some food coloring will add all the decoration you need for these festive appetizers.

For those of you who aren't big fans of mushrooms, you can try other fillings like flavored cream, cheese crab rangoon, or ravioli fillings. There are so many options, so have fun with it.

I used an "Eat Drink and Be Scary" rubber stamp from Studio G for this project, but any new stamp will work.

Do not use a stamp that was used for any other purpose. Also, be sure to wash your stamp in hot soapy water before starting.

Once you are done using the stamp to make your Halloween appetizers, you can use it for other purposes if you don't plan to use it again on food.

Madeira Mushroom Filled Halloween Won Ton Appetizers

(makes 24)

Ingredients

Madeira Mushrooms:

10 ounces Cremini mushrooms (aka Baby Bella Mushrooms)
10 ounces Shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil  (not Extra Virgin) or vegetable oil
2 ounces Pancetta (or bacon)
2-3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 roasted red peppers, finely chopped
¾ cup Madeira Wine
¼ cup beef broth
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

Won Tons:
48 Square Won Ton Wrappers*
egg wash (1 egg mixed with a teaspoon of water)
black food coloring (or any other color you'd like)

Supplies

New, clean, Halloween rubber stamp
pastry brush and/or a clean food-only sponge brush

Clean the mushrooms.

• Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel.
  • Rinse some paper towels in water, then ring out, and use to wipe the dirt off the mushrooms.
• Remove stems from Shiitake mushrooms.
• Slice and set aside.

Cook the Pancetta until crispy.

• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12" skillet and set over medium-high heat.
• Chop the Pancetta or bacon into small pieces and sprinkle in the hot pan.
• Cook, stirring often, until crisp.
• Remove the crispy Pancetta from the skillet, leaving the oil in the pan.
• Set the Pancetta on a piece of paper towel to drain off any excess grease.
• Add the shallots to the hot pan and saute until translucent.
• Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.
• Add the finely chopped roasted red peppers and cook just until all the liquid evaporates.
• Pour mixture into a bowl and set aside.

Caramelize the Mushrooms

• In the same hot skillet add a little over a teaspoon of oil and a pat of butter.
• As soon as the butter melts add a single layer of mushrooms to the pan.
• If you crowd the pan, the mushrooms will steam instead of caramelize.
• Once these mushrooms are brown, remove them from the pan.
• Add more oil and butter to the pan and repeat the process until all the mushrooms are browned.

Flavor Mushrooms with Madeira Wine

• Return mushrooms, Pancetta, and roasted red pepper mixture to the skillet.
• Pour in wine, beef broth, and balsamic vinegar.
• Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all the brown bits and bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the moisture evaporates.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

At this point, you can begin making your wont tons or you can refrigerate your mushrooms until ready to use. They can be kept in the refrigerator for several days.

Fill and bake the Won-Tons

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Brush a light coating of black food coloring onto the clean rubber stamp, using a foam brush or a pastry brush. Just be aware that if you use a pastry brush, the bristles will forever be tinted pink, yes, I said pink. Don't ask me why that happens, but it does.
• Press the stamp onto a won ton. Remove and set your won ton wrapper aside. Repeat until you have 24 stamped won tons.
• Brush the remaining won tons with egg wash. Equally divide the mushroom mixture among them, placing a scoop in the center of each. Top with a printed won ton wrapper and press around the edges to seal tightly.

• Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through and brown around the edges, about 10 minutes.
• They can also be fried at 375 degrees in oil until golden brown if you prefer.

Storage

These Halloween appetizers are best served the day they are made. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and reheated in a 350-degree oven for 6-8 minutes until heated through. 

Variations

Instead of filling these baked won tons with mushrooms, you could use flavored cream cheese like I did when I made my Fried Won Ton Roses and my Fried Won Ton Clocks.

Or you can fill them with taco filling like I did when I made my Fried Taco Footballs. 

Related Recipes

If you are looking for more Halloween recipes, be sure to check out these other delicious appetizers. 

Cheese Ball Cauldron

Chicken Pesto Stuffed Witch Hats

Slithering Snack Snack

Cheeseburger Skulls