Roasted Mushroom Toasts

These were the second course of my Autumn's Bounty collaborative Happy Hour with Anni of The Quail & Olive and Lenora of Big Sur Vineyards,

Roasted Mushrooms

Ingredients

You can use whatever balsamic vinegar and olive oil that you have. I am lucky to have local-to-me The Quail & Olive in Carmel Valley. I'll link to the products I used in this recipe. If you aren't local, they ship! I used a variety of sliced crimini mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and beech mushrooms.

• mushrooms

• 1/2 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling (I used the Picual from The Quail & Olive)

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (I used the Star Anise Vanilla Bean Balsamic from The Quail & Olive)

• salt and pepper

• Mushroom Alchemy (a spice blend of sea salt, garlic, and dried mushrooms)

• Also needed: lidded jar, parchment paper, baking sheet

Procedure

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the olive oil and vinegar in a lidded jar and shake until emulsified.

Place mushrooms on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Mushroom Alchemy. Drizzle with the glaze and with more olive oil.

Put sheet in the oven and roast mushrooms for 20 to 25 minutes for large mushrooms, 16 to 18 mushrooms for small mushrooms.

You can use these as you would any roasted meat. For the event, I served Roasted Mushroom Toasts, but it all starts with the toasts...

Ingredients

• baguette

• olive oil (I used the Picual from The Quail & Olive)

• also needed: baking sheet

Procedure

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a bread knife to cut baguette into 1/2-inch slices. Lay the bread on a baking sheet; I can usually get 30 pieces on a sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 4 minutes. Flip over and bake for an additional 4 minutes. Let cool completely before topping.

For Serving

Let the crostini cool. To serve, smear with mascarpone cream and top with roasted mushrooms. Drizzle with more Star Anise Vanilla Bean Balsamic. Garnish with snipped chives.

I paired this with the 2023 Big Sur Vineyards Pinot Noir. This wine is beautifully fruity with hints of redwood duff. Its velvety tannins and subtle spice layers make this a perfect Autumn wine.