Spatula Diaries: Easy mushroom toast recipe

Try a simple supper dish of chanterelles on toast

The other day, my friend Anna-Karin and I were talking about wild mushrooms. Chanterelles are in season in her native Sweden right now, as well as in the U.S. on the Northwest and Northeast coasts. I’ve been drooling as a Facebook friend from Seattle has been documenting her family’s foraging trips … her kitchen table blanketed with fresh (and free!) chanterelles, soon to be sautéed in butter or incorporated into brothy noodle soup.

This, of course, put me in the mood for a wild mushroom nosh, and I loved the sound of Anna-Karin’s use of chanterelles. She makes an open-faced sandwich, similar to a French tartine. The recipe involves sautéeing chopped mushrooms with all kinds of good stuff, spooning the mixture onto hearty slices of toast, topping it with cheese and sliding it under the broiler. Anna-Karin slathers either mustard or Boursin on the toasts before adding the mushrooms for an extra burst of flavor.

I picked up some chanterelles from the store and came up with this yummy formula. It’s great for supper with a salad or bowl of tomato soup, or as appetizers.

Note: In Baton Rouge, you can find chanterelles at Costco, Whole Foods Market and other stores. In the summer, buy local chanterelles at the Red Stick Farmers Market from Greenwell Springs Produce farmer David Spiess. Next month, the farmers market is hoping to see the return of its shiitake mushroom vendor.

Chanterelles on toast

Makes about 12 toasts

8 ounces fresh chanterelles, wiped clean of dirt, gently washed and chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped shallot
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
¼ cup dry white wine
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Half a baguette, preferably whole grain
Dijon mustard
½ cup grated Gruyère cheese

Heat a cast iron or ovenproof skillet over high heat, until very hot. Add mushrooms. Sauté for about 3-5 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft and water has been released and evaporated. Lower heat to medium. Add butter and olive oil to the skillet and stir. Add chopped shallot and sauté for 1 minute. Add garlic and rosemary, and sauté for 1 minute. Add wine and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until wine is reduced by half. Add salt and pepper. Set mixture aside.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice baguette into ¼-inch-thick slices and toast slices for about 2 minutes on each side until evenly crisp, but still chewy. Remove from the oven. Turn on the broiler.

Spread mustard on baguette slices. Top with mushroom mixture. Top with grated Gruyère. Broil until cheese melts and serve.

Maggie Heyn Richardson is a regular 225 contributor and author of Hungry for Louisiana, An Omnivore’s Journey. Visit her at hungryforlouisiana.com.