Holiday Entertaining with Tom Douglas: Mt. Townsend Seastack and Mushroom Crostini
Soft, oozing cheese, crisp toasts, and savory, caramelized mushrooms create a fantastic combo of tastes and textures. Be sure to sauté the mushrooms long enough to get them a little crisp.
I prefer a soft ripened cheese for this recipe, such as Mt. Townsend Seastack which is a soft goat’s milk cheese rolled in sea salt and vegetable ash, made by Mt. Townsend Creamery.
Wine suggestion: Along with our local cheese, a Washington state bubbly such as Mountain Dome Sparkler would work great!
Mt. Townsend Seastack and Mushroom Crostini
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces shiitake, button, or crimini mushrooms, stems trimmed and roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 slices from a baguette, about 1/3-inch thick
Olive oil for brushing
About 6 ounces soft-ripened cheese, such as Mt. Townsend Seastack
1 tablespoon sliced chives, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté, stirring as needed, until the mushroom-liquid evaporates and the mushrooms are browned and a little crisp. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Brush the baguette slices lightly with oil, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake for 6 to 8 minutes until crisp and golden. Remove from the oven.
4. Spread some of the cheese on each toast while the toasts are still warm. Top each toast with some of the mushrooms and sprinkle with a little thyme. Serve immediately.
Makes 12 crostini (6 servings)
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