Mushroom Bruschetta
Probably one of my favorite dishes I've cooked. This flavor combination is simple and incredible. A delightful appetizer, and a great way to use up a ton of mushrooms. This flavor combination of mushrooms, thyme, shallots, garlic, and balsamic vinegar is insanely good. The balsamic vinegar in particular gives it just the right balance of sweetness that brings everything together. This dish is super versatile -- I kind of just hand-waved the ingredient amounts, and you can substitute pretty much all of the ingredients to your heart's desire.
Active Time: 25 min
Total Time: 25 min
Ingredients
> bread
> mushrooms (1/2 lb)
> shallots (2, minced)
> garlic (3 cloves, minced)
> thyme (~10 sprigs, picked)
> balsamic vinegar (~2 tbsp)
> creme fraiche
> olive oil, salt, pepper
Instructions
1. Slice ~6 small slices of bread. Drizzle with olive oil and toast for ~5 minutes, or until it develops a nice crispy texture. Spread a thin layer of creme fraiche on each slice of bread.
2. Saute mushrooms over very high heat with plenty of olive oil. DO NOT overcrowd the pan, work in batches if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to saute until it starts to caramelize and brown. You may need to drain some excess liquid in the process (if you do, you may want to add more oil).
3. Add the shallots, garlic, and thyme. Continue to saute for several more minutes.
4. Add balsamic vinegar, and saute very briefly until well combined.
5. Generously spoon mushrooms over the toasted bread, and top with more picked thyme or chopped parsley as desired. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> This recipe is super versatile, and you can feel free to substitute most of the components to your heart's desire. Bread-wise, I think baguettes sliced at an angle work the best, but pretty much anything will work. Mushroom-wise, I used maitake mushrooms, but oyster mushrooms would also work beautifully. Feel free to substitute the creme fraiche for cream cheese, goat cheese, or ricotta.
> The key is to sear the crap out of the mushrooms. You want to get a nice golden-brown caramelization, slightly crispy is ideal. Mushrooms will release a lot of water, which gets in the way of that caramelization. It's important to use really high heat and NOT overcrowd the pan, so that the excess moisture can evaporate.
> As I mentioned, I kind of handwaved the ingredient amounts (nor did I really reference a recipe for this). The exact ingredient amounts don't really matter that much. Taste along the way.