Savory Mushroom Toasts

This is one the simplest appetizers, but nonetheless delicious, that is if you like mushrooms.  Who doesn't like mushrooms, besides my Dad and my kids?  Oh, that just means more for me!  With the holidays coming up I wanted to share one of my favorite appetizers.  These are so quick that you can easily whip them up when you have unexpected guests or just a hankering for a super yummy snack. French bread with a savory mushroom topping, yeah that's got to be good.   I love, love, love mushrooms.  I was glad to read in my current Good Housekeeping magazine that Susan Westmoreland, food director, GHRI, it is acceptable to wash mushrooms.  I always have, even though it has been said that they absorb the water.  It takes too long to wipe each mushroom with a damp paper towel. Plus I am thinking the mushrooms that I get must be a lot dirtier than they cook with on food network!  Susan says she weighed mushroom sand then rinsed them in a colander and blotted them with a paper towel and weighed them again.  They were no heavier, so they couldn't have absorbed much water.  This is what I wanted to hear, practical advice, so I had to share it with you.  You can pair these mushroom toasts with a nice glass of white wine or even beer, or like this lovely fall afternoon, a glass of ice tea, sweet of course!

Savory Mushroom Toasts

1 small baguette, sliced into 12 slices

2 tablespoons butter

6 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped

2 green onions, sliced thinly

2 tablespoon half and half

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Cooking Directions:
Place slice baguette on a baking sheet and broil just until they start to brown, turn and place back under broiler for about one minute.  Set aside.

Place butter in skillet over medium heat, when melted, add mushrooms, green onions, salt and pepper.  Cook about 4 minutes or until mushrooms are soft.  Add half and half Parmesan and parsley, stir and cook for about 2 minutes.  Spoon over toasts and place under broiler for about 2 minutes, watching carefully, remove when edges of bread start to brown.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Miss