Crostini Bar: Mushroom "Paté"
A puréed mixture of sautéed mushrooms seasoned with shallots, garlic, and fresh herbs in a wine sauce makes a terrific topping for crostini. For a crostini bar sampler, serve atop Crostini Toasts with Crostini Bar: Smoky Eggplant and Roasted Garlic Spread, Crostini Bar: Raw Zucchini and Corn Crostini Topper, White Bean and Sesame Spread and Crostini Bar: Puttanesca Bruschetta.
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- 2 pounds coarsely chopped crimini mushrooms or mixed mushrooms
- A few sprigs of thyme, chopped
- 3 shallots, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- Salt and lots of coarse black pepper
- 1/2 cup Marsala or sherry
- Finely chopped parsley, for garnish
- Cornichons, halved
Preparation
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and brown, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme, shallots and garlic and cook for 10-12 minutes more, until the mushrooms are very dark and the shallots are very tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Deglaze the pan with the Marsala or sherry. Transfer everything to a food processor and pulse to process the mushrooms into a coarse paste. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with parsley. Serve with charred or toasted bread and cornichons.
