Blue Cheese Mushroom Crostini

This appetizer is ideal for a cocktail party, or any get together. It goes wonderfully with wine, and has become my signature, most requested dish. It is a rich, creamy, tangle of flavors that works extremely well. Blue cheese melts into a bit of cream, blends with sauteed mushrooms and chopped proscuitto and then is mounded on thin baquette slices, topped with a sprinkle of parmesan, and baked in the oven until hot.

It is also a dish that comes together very quickly, and can even be made ahead, refrigerated overnight, and then spread on bread and baked the next day.

Blue Cheese Mushroom Crostini, adapted from Epicurious.com

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps chopped
4 ounces crimini mushrooms, chopped (I've used regular button too, depending on what's available in the market)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup fat free half and half (or regular, but the fat free cuts the richness a bit, and seems to work better overall, but either way is fine)

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped thinly sliced prosciutto (about 4 or 5 slices)

parmesan cheese

18 or so, 1/4-inch-thick diagonal bread slices cut from 1 baguette or if your market sells the tiny toasts, about one inch square, these are ideal too, and a bit lighter than the baguette slices.

Chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all mushrooms and garlic and sauté until mushrooms are cooked through and brown, about 10 minutes. Add cream and boil until liquid is completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add blue cheese and stir until cheese melts. Mix in prosciutto. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer mushroom topping to bowl. (Mushroom topping can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange bread slices on baking sheet. Bake until just golden, about 5 minutes. Mound 1 generous tablespoon mushroom topping on each slice. Lightly sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Return to oven; bake until topping is heated through, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Enjoy....oh, and don't be alarmed at the ugliness of this dish. The creamy gray spread may not look like much, but one bite, and you'll be swooning. Appearances can be deceiving.

:) Pam

Comments

[Karen]

Huhuhu! Neither will I be losing weight! :((