Oyster mushrooms on toast
I love these dove grey creatures – don’t you think they look like some exotic sea anemone - with their soft underbellies and their delicate gills, even if these are really called lamellae.
I used a fantastic, sourdough baguette with a crackly, crispy crust and a plump, pillowy centre. It made fantastic toast.
Ingredients
Serves 4
45g unsalted butter
500g oyster mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 tsp grain mustard
2 tbs white wine
1 tbs double cream, optional
1 small handful flat leaf parsley, about 20g, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
To serve
1 baguette, cut into thumb thick slices and toasted
35g butter, melted, optional
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped, optional
Method
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Slice the baguette into thumb thick slices.
Heat the 45g of butter in a large frying pan on medium heat until melted and hot but not brown.
Immediately add mushrooms and garlic, and sauté for 2-3 minutes, carefully stirring with a flat, wooden spoon.
After 2-3 minutes, reduce heat to low and add a good pinch of salt, the grain mustard, the white wine and stir to combine.
Continue to cook the mushrooms for another 3 - 5 minutes, occasionally stirring, until they soften and release some of their juices.
Do let the juices reduce though and do allow some of the mushrooms to brown a little.
They should be cooked for a total of about 8 minutes.
If there is too much liquid in the pan, cook for a further couple of minutes uncovered, on medium heat, to let the extra liquid evaporate.
When mushrooms are completely cooked, add the double cream, stir and gently bring to the boil.
Simmer for a minute, then remove from heat.
Carefully fold through the remaining parsley and season with freshly ground black pepper. Keep warm while you prepare the toasts.
The next step is optional. Or not!
Melt the second amount of butter in the frying pan, together with a small clove of finely chopped garlic. When hot and sizzling, drop the toasts into it to cook for a few seconds on one side, then the other.
Remove at once and put on a serving plate or board.
Put mounds of mushrooms on each round of toasted baguette and serve while still hot.