We got this idea from a Swiss cookbook (specifically, Cooking in Switzerland by Marianne Kaltenbach) my wife gave me for Christmas. Thumbing through the pages seeing what caught our eyes combined with the fact that we had oodles of bread that has been given to us over the past week that needed to be used, and this was the easy choice.
While we used prosciutto as one of the layers under our mushrooms, we think that this would be excellent as a vegetarian dish by using sauteed or wilted spinach instead of the meat. We also opted to add a thin layer of whole grain dijon to enhance the flavours and really draw out the richness of the Raclette cheese that we used. Anyway, this dish would be a great side, but it also works as a main course for dinner…or even a brunch!
Time: 25 Minutes
Ingredients:
- For the Toast:
- Bread (We used “English Muffin Bread,” but white or whole wheat would do well too)
- Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
- A good melting cheese. We used Raclette, but Emmentaler, Gruyere, and Appenzeller would be great too.
- Paprika
- Black Pepper
- Optional: Sauteed/Wilted Spinach
- Optional: Prosciutto or Schinken (if not going for a vegetarian version)
- For the Mushroom Topping
- Mushrooms (about 1-1.5 mushrooms per slice of toast)
- Vegetable Boullion or Stock (about a half cup per four slices of toast)
- White Wine (We used Chardonnay) (equal proportion to your vegetable boullion/stock)
- Butter
- Flour (about 1 tablespoon per cup of total liquid)
- Dried Parsley
- Black Pepper
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Start to heat a sauce pan with your boullion/stock and wine in it. Bring to a temperature just below a simmer.
- Heat a flat cast iron pan, butter one side of each of your bread slices, and place your bread on the pan with the buttered side facing. (Alternatively, you can toast in a toaster and then put your toast in a greased oven-safe dish before layering toppings in a few steps)
- As the dry side of your bread toasts, wash and thinly slice your mushrooms.
- Melt some butter in another frying pan, and add your mushrooms. Sautee until they begin to brown.
- When the bottom of your toast has become crispy and started to brown a bit, turn the heat off under your cast iron pan, and flip your toasts. Then, top them with a thinly spread layer of mustard, your spinach and/or prosciutto, and your cheese. Stash the pan (or your buttered baking dish) in the oven (it will need to be in there for about 10 minutes to properly melt the cheese).
- Back to your mushrooms! When your mushrooms have browned and softened, sprinkle your flour atop, and stir to combine. Let sautee for another minute or two after that. Then, turn off the heat, add your boullion and wine, and turn the heat back on to thicken. Add your parsley and black pepper here as you stir.
- When your cheese is melted on your toast, remove from the oven, and put your toast foundations on your plate(s). Then, top them with copious heaps of your mushrooms.
- Devour, and enjoy!
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