Breaded Mushrooms with Garlic Mayo for Toddlers and Adults

I seem to be getting onto some kind of "healthy trashy" vibe at the moment.  Nothing deliberate, that's not my thing but we all fancy something a bit tacky sometimes.  I have to admit to a sneaky love of the breaded mushroom but I always want to wipe my face afterwards to remove the grease.  Yuck.

So, it got me thinking... Why not try oven baking them?  Must be possible right?

Well it turns out that not only is it possible but it's blooming lovely.  Much crunchier and obviously not oily at all.  I've not tried this recipe on the pumpkin (my son) yet, partly because he's not much of a fan of dipping foods and the mayo is part of the whole deal.  He loves mushrooms though so I'm definitely going to try him on them.

Breaded Mushrooms with Garlic Mayo - serves 2 toddlers or 2 adult sized starter portions (or one hungry adult who would eat breaded mushrooms as a main course.... *blush*)

Ingredients

5 reasonable sized mushrooms, approx 4-5 cm (1.5-2 inch) across (see below)
1-1.5 slices of white bread (I used a lovely slow fermented sponge based bread)
1 egg
25g (1oz) of grated grana padano (or parmesan)
Spray oil

To serve
0.5 - 1 clove of garlic, chopped and crushed (or to your taste)
2 tbsp of bought mayonnaise

Method

Preheat the oven to 200oC, 400oF.

Cut the mushrooms in half, or if they are very small, leave whole (I see no reason if they are larger not to quarter them).  The idea is that they are of a consistent size so they cook evenly in the oven.

Crack your egg into a bowl and whisk slightly.

Process the bread into crumbs and add the grated cheese.

Now take each mushroom, dip into the egg and then the crumbs and put onto a baking tray, flat side down lined with non-stick baking paper.  I found the breadcrumbs don't stick tremendously well to the curved side so I did press a few more on top where they were a little bald!

Spray with spray oil and bake for 20-25 mins or until the coating is crisp and the mushroom is fully cooked inside.

I feel quite proud of myself for this.  I mean, it might be quite a cool diet dish too if you use extra light mayo.  Definitely one I'm making again...