Over the weekend we all enjoyed many living room performances from our tiny Irish dancer. She requested song after song and tapped her knuckles to her thigh in a silent countdown to the beginning of her choreography. She hopped and kicked with her brows furrowed in deep concentration, and after each was done, she bowed over her pointed toe with a smile and a flip of her hair. Watching her made me remember the many living room performances my sister and I would put on, especially when our parents had company. We would sing songs from our favorite movies and show off memorized boy band dances and force the adults to endure our screeching violins.

I still perform at family gatherings, but now it’s in the kitchen. This past weekend I was requested to prepare a special dish my mother-in-law had seen and was curious to try — mushroom wellington. This dish is a vegetarian reimagining of the classic beef wellington. This version is earthy and herbaceous, and its preparation comes with much less pressure. A creamy maple balsamic sauce finishes the dish nicely.

Ingredients:

4-6 portobello mushrooms

2 pounds mushrooms (I used cremini, but any mix of varieties will do)

2 shallots

½ cup minced leek

¼ cup minced garlic

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary

Olive oil, about ½ cup

4 tablespoons butter

Salt and black pepper to taste

4 yellow onions, thinly sliced

1 box puff pastry (two sheets) thawed in the refrigerator.

1 egg

For the sauce:

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons maple syrup

½ cup water

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vegetable stock base

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Clean all the mushrooms with a damp towel and remove the stems. Reserve the stems for stock.

Remove the gills from the portobellos and trim the undersides to make a flat surface for searing.

Finely chop the mixed mushrooms (including the trimmed edges of the portobellos).

Brush both sides of the portobellos with olive oil and sear both sides until browned and caramelized, then transfer to a wire rack with the gills facing down so the excess moisture drains.

Wipe out the pan and add 3 tablespoons of oil. Add half of the chopped mushrooms and cook until they look soggy. Add half of the butter and half of the shallots, fresh herbs, garlic, and leeks. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the mixture is dry and crumbly. Remove from the pan and repeat with the second batch. Set aside.

Clean out the pan and caramelize the onions by cooking in a dry pan until the bottom is browned and the onions are starting to stick, use some water to deglaze the pan, then repeat four or five times until the onions are sweet, soft, and brown. This process takes about 30 minutes. Set the finished onions aside.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Lay out a sheet of parchment paper and lightly flour.

Unroll both sheets of puff pastry on the parchment. Use a floured rolling pin to gently roll, sealing the two sheets together, into one large rectangle. Slide onto the baking sheet.

Spread ½ of the mushroom filling covering about 1/3 of the width of the pastry, leaving about ½ inch margin around, and gently press.

Arrange the seared portobellos on top of the filling in a row. Trim the edges if necessary to make a tidy line.

Spread the caramelized onions in an even layer on top, then cover with the remaining half of the mushrooms.

Gently pull the puff pastry up and over the mushrooms to meet the bottom. Tuck the edges under to seal.

Score the top with a very sharp knife in a crosshatch pattern and brush with the egg wash.

Bake for 40-50 minutes until golden, allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Make the sauce by heating all the ingredients except the cream and cornstarch until boiling. Drop the heat to simmer and whisk the cream and cornstarch together before slowly whisking into the sauce.

Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Tressa Dale is a writer, pre-k educator, culinary and pastry school graduate, and a U.S. Navy veteran. She lives in Kenai with her husband, five-year-old son, and beloved black cat. Find her on Instagram @tressa.m.dale