This Recipe is part of the New Years Bites 5 Finger Foods Menu
Crusty bread is topped with mushrooms accessorized with rosemary, cranberries, a splash of balsamic and flavorful cheese.
If you can sauté a pan of mushrooms and toast bread, you can make these crostini. The mushrooms are accessorized with rosemary, cranberries, and a splash of balsamic vinegar, then topped with flavorful cheese and popped back into the oven until the cheese melts.
Ingredients
1 thin baguette, sliced diagonally about 1/4 inch thick (you’ll need only 20 or so slices)
1 large clove garlic, cut in half lengthwise
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
1 tbsp butter
6 cups sliced fresh mushrooms—button, portobello, shiitake, or a combination
1/3 cup dried cranberries or chopped dried cherries
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar or red wine
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2–1 cup grated aged Gouda, Asiago, fontina, or old white cheddar cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet (if you like, brush them lightly with olive oil before baking) and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until barely golden. Remove from the oven and rub each with a cut clove of garlic.
3. Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan set over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until the moisture has evaporated. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are golden. Add the cranberries, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary and cook for another minute, until the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the hot mixture onto toasts and sprinkle with cheese. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese melts.
Makes about 20 crostini
Per crostini: calories 76, total fat 3.4 g, saturated fat 1.6 g, monounsaturated fat 1.3 g, polyunsaturated fat 0.2 g, protein 3 g, carbohydrates 8.73 g, cholesterol 8.7 mg, fiber 0.7 g, calories from fat 39%
Recipe and image excerpted from Grazing: A Healthier Approach to Appetizers and Finger Foods by Julie Rosendaal. Published by WhiteCap Books Ltd. Copyright 2009 by Julie Rosendaal. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the book now!
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