Recipe: Mushroom Toasts with Rocchetta

the appetizer:

Get ready for holiday parties with Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials, featuring recipes like Frangelico Figs with Creamy Blue Cheese; Mushroom Toasts with Rocchetta; and Reblochon and Potato Tartiflette.

Mushroom Toasts
with Rocchetta

Serves 6

One of the telltale signs that you are eating a surface-ripened cheese is when it tastes mushroomy. That's why I combined cheese with mushrooms to create this recipe. Although it calls for the Italian cheese Rocchetta, you can choose from a number of different surface-ripened cheeses. You want a cheese that will soften on contact with the hot mushrooms and stand up to their earthy flavors.

6 slices sourdough bread (crusts removed) cut in half crosswise
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 small shallot, minced
1-1/2 pounds assorted mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 half wheel of Rocchetta cheese, about 4.5 ounces,
cut into 6 equal-size pieces (or use La Tur, Perail,
St. Andre or any double- or triple-creme Brie, rind removed)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Place an oven rack 6 inches below the heating element and preheat the broiler.

Put the bread slices on a baking sheet. Broil until golden brown, about 45 seconds. Watch to make sure the bread doesn't burn. Turn the bread and spread with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Broil until the bread has a few little brown spots and is a half-shade darker, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Do not toast too much. Set aside.

In a large sauté pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and have released most but not all their juices, about 10 minutes. Add the salt and pepper.

Turn the heat to high and add the vinegar. Cook for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium, add the cream, and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly and the mushroom mixture looks creamy but not soupy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. (Note: You can prepare the mushrooms up to 2 hours ahead. Cover and keep at room temperature. Reheat to piping hot.)

To assemble, place 2 pieces of toast on individual serving plates. Distribute the mushrooms on top of the toast. Place the cheese on top, sprinkle with parsley, and serve right away.

from:
Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials
An Insider's Guide to Buying and Serving Cheese
by Laura Werlin
Stewart, Tabori & Chang 2007
272 pages, Flexibind, US $24.95
Photographs by Maren Caruso
ISBN-10: 1-5847-9627-8
ISBN-13: 9781584796275
Recipe reprinted by permission.

Buy Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials