mushroom crostini - dinner for...(kara)

First Course

I started to cook not because it's an essential skill that everyone should have but because I like seeing people happy when they eat my food (for some reason). This still holds true today and earlier this semester, I invited my friend Kara, who you may remember from such posts as this one, over for dinner. Because of all the tests and sideprojects we have to do, this dinner plan had been postponed and I just started preparing for the 3 course dinner yesterday. That being said, this leads me to my new mini-series - dinner for (insert name, in this case Kara).

Why prep and not just cook you may ask? While I'm pretty sure (again, I think) I can cook a chicken breast without screwing it up and make a simple salad on the fly - this girl knows her food. She's a foodie and a fine cook. Expectations are higher, pressure's on and I also promised to cook with the Marsala wine she gifted me for my birthday. So for the first course, I decided to make a crostini - topped off with sauteed mushrooms, deglazing it with Marsala and then melted Fontina cheese.

(meez - shallots, garlic, thyme, mushrooms)

Overall, the dish turned out well but I'll be making an adjustment or two when I actually host the dinner. I liked the flavors but I found the toasts to be too thick. Halving the current thickness of the bread should do the trick. I might use a mixture of wild mushrooms instead of the Portabellas - haven't decided yet. I also used a blow torch instead of broiling the cheese in the oven. I just didn't feel like using the oven but feel free to use the broiler if you don't have a blow torch.

Mushroom Crostini (Luna Bakery sourdough, shallots, garlic, thyme, Marsala, Fontina cheese)

Original

Ingredients:

- 8oz. Portabella mushrooms (or wild mushrooms), cored and sliced

- 1 shallot, finely diced

- 1 clove of garlic, minced

- 1 tablespoon butter

- few sprigs of thyme

- 1/3 cup Marsala wine

- 1/3 cup chicken stock

- 0.25+ cup grated Fontina cheese

- 1 baguette, sliced thin (I used a sourdough)

- 1 sprig of parsley, chiffonade

1) Prep all of the ingredients. That's the meez my friends. Dice the shallots, mince the garlic, slice the mushrooms (wash them for pete sakes...I mean they are grown in dirt/crap).

2) Add about a tablespoon of oil to a hot pan and saute the garlic and shallots until soft and lightly browned.

3) Add the mushrooms and thyme to the pan and another tablespoon of olive oil if needed. This may look like a lot at first but they'll shrink in size tremendously. Season with salt and pepper and saute until the mushrooms reduce in size and are caramelized.

4) Toss in the knob of butter and toss to coat evenly.

5) Deglaze the pan with Marsala wine, working from the outside. Reduce.

6) Once the wine has reduced, add in chicken stock and reduce once more. Set aside

7) Toast the baguette slices and set aside.

8) Plate the toasts on the serving plate and top with the sauteed mushrooms. Top grated Fontina over the mushrooms and then melt the cheese using a blow torch...or you can do this in the broiler not on the serving plate though (this is common sense right?).

9) Sprinkle chiffonaded parsley over the melted cheese and serve immediately.

Haven't decided on the main course but I have a rough idea of what I want to do for dessert (no it's not tiramisu). More to come...!