mushroom chevre crostini

Dan and I were discussing which season Thanksgiving belongs to.  I always had it in my Autumn Holidays grouping along with Halloween, and then Christmas and New Years were part of the Winter Holidays group.  Dan, on the other hand, considers Thanksgiving a holiday that belongs with Christmas and New Years.  Either way, my Christmas tree doesn't go up until after Thanksgiving, and I don't care to listen to Christmas music before then either.  My brain can't handle more than one holiday at a time!  Me pumpkins and leaves until Thanksgiving, then I'll switch gears to holly and mistletoe and egg nog.

Crositinis are one of my favorite types of appetizers, simply because there are so many variations to play around with.  I didn't used to be a fan of mushrooms, but Dan loves them and over the past couple years I've learned to love them as well!  Fall is such a perfect time for the earthy flavors of mushrooms and they pair so well with other autumn flavors.  This app is pretty quick to prepare and it'd be a great starter for Thanksgiving!

(recipe adapted slightly from food & wine)

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/2 pound oyster mushrooms, sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 shallot, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Eight 1/2-inch-thick slices of french bread

1 cup honey chevre

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the shiitake and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until browned, 4 minutes. Add the oyster mushrooms and cook until softened and lightly browned, 4 minutes. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, lemon juice, thyme and the 1 tablespoon of parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the bread with olive oil and grill until toasted and charred in spots, about 1 minute per side.

3. Spread each toast slice with chevre. Spoon the mushrooms on top and and sprinkle with the additional parsley. Cut the crostini in half, drizzle with olive oil and serve.