Mushroom and Ricotta Crostini

Crostini are one of my favourite appetizers to find at a holiday party. The flavour combinations are endless and it's fun to see creativity play out on a humble piece of toast — because that's basically what it is, little toasts. Fun fact, that's actually what "crostini" translates to in Italian, but don't worry this isn't that kind of blog.

The mushroom and ricotta crostini recipe I'm sharing with you today starts with toasting good baguette — key word: good because the better the bread, the better the end result. That gets topped with whipped ricotta and buttery, meaty mushrooms. Emphasis on the meaty here, because most people I meet who don't like mushrooms complain about the soggy texture. At which point I like to point out the texture problem is a flaw of the cook, not the ingredient, so we'll cover my fool-proof meaty mushroom method here, too. 

Equipment

Here's everything you need to make mushroom and ricotta crostini at home:

• cutting board
• bread knife
• chef's knife
• parchment-lined baking sheet
• pastry brush
• large bowl or clean dish towel
• large skillet
• food processor or blender

Get the full ingredients list and instructions below!

Cooking Tips

1. Most people who don't like mushrooms complain about the texture — soggy, mushy or rubbery are all adjectives I've heard. But unfortunately (or fortunately) that is a problem of the chef rather than the ingredient. If you want delicious, meaty mushrooms, you need to follow these steps:
   •  Heat a large frying pan on medium high. Once it's ripping hot, add oil, followed by your mushrooms. Cook in the hot pan until the mushrooms start to brown and reduce in volume by about two-thirds. 
   • Once they've reduced in volume, now you can season! Start with a generous pinch of salt, followed by butter and your aromatics of choice. I like using butter, garlic and thyme. 
   • Finally, when the mushrooms are looking beautifully browned and smelling delicious, finish them with a splash of vinegar, my favourites are sherry and apple cider, but white wine vinegar also works. 
   • That's it, now you have delicious, meaty mushrooms! 
2. Cleaning and cutting mushrooms...My favourite way to clean mushrooms is by brushing the dirt away with a pastry brush or clean dish towel. If your mushrooms are very dirty, you might prefer to quickly soak them in a bowl of water, shaking them to remove any dirt or debris, then drying them thoroughly with a clean dish towel. If you choose to clean the mushrooms using water, do so quickly to avoid absorbing excess liquid — mushrooms are already 90% water, which takes time to sweat out in the cooking process. We don't want to increase cook time by logging them with even more water.
3.  Buying the right ricotta. When it comes to buying cheese, I always say, buy the best you can afford. This is true for ricotta. The best of the best will be made fresh, using whole milk and have a creamy — not grainy — texture, with a touch of natural sweetness. 

Mushroom and Ricotta Crostini

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 10

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 french baguette
• 475 g traditional Italian ricotta
• 2 tablespoon honey plus more for serving
• 500 g oyster mushrooms could also use chanterelle or cremini mushrooms
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves finely diced
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar could also use sherry or white wine vinegar
• salt I'm using Diamond Crystal
• olive oil
• cracked black pepper

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
2. Slice 1 baguette into 10-15 rounds on a bias, about 1-2 cm thick. Discard the ends and transfer the remaining rounds to your parchment-lined sheets. Using a pastry brush, cover each round generously in olive oil. Bake until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, add 475g ricotta, 2 tablespoon honey and ½ teaspoon salt to a food processor or blender. Blitz until smooth, taste and adjust seasoning, then set aside.
4. Next, prep your mushrooms and garlic. Start by slicing, or ripping, your mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. When using creminis, l prefer to slice, but when using oysters, I prefer to rip — choose what works best for you! Next, finely dice 2 garlic cloves, then remove and discard the stems of 3 sprigs fresh thyme.
5. Once the mushrooms are prepped, heat a large skillet on medium-high. When the pan is ripping hot, almost smoking, add 2 tablespoon olive oil, followed by your cut mushrooms. Let cook on medium-high until they reduce in volume by two-thirds and start to brown, about 5-10 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to medium, and season generously with ½ teaspoon salt. Add 2 tablespoon butter, garlic and thyme leaves then continue cooking until the garlic and thyme are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Finish with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and stir until the vinegar evaporates. The vinegar will release brown bits from the pan, so be sure to scrape those up as you go. Turn off heat and set aside.
7. By now your crostini should be ready, remove them from the oven and transfer to a cutting board or serving tray. Top with a generous scoop of ricotta, a spoonful of mushrooms and a drizzle of honey.

Tag me @stefsdinnerdate on Instagram and TikTok if you make it! I love seeing your creations.