Mushroom Croustades
Makes 24, serves 6-8
Croustades:
2 Tbsp. very soft butter
24 slices fresh, thin-sliced white bread
3” cookie cutter
24 muffin tins (small size)
Coat the inside of the tins with the butter. Cut a 3” round from each slice of bread. Fit these into the muffin tins gently. Bake in a preheated 400° oven 10-12 minutes, until brown. Let cool. They may be frozen at this point.
Mushroom Filling:
3 Tbsp. finely chopped shallots ⅛ tsp. cayenne
½ lb. mushroom, finely chopped 1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
4 Tbsp. butter 1 ½ Tbsp. finely chopped chives
2 Tbsp. flour ½ tsp. lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream 2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp. salt butter
Chop the shallots and mushroom very fine. Melt 4 Tbsp. butter, add shallots, stir them for 4 minutes, and add mushrooms. Mix well in butter, and then cook 10-15 minutes until all the moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. flour over the mushroom, stir thoroughly. Pour in 1 cup heavy cream, stirring constantly, bring to a boil. It will thicken heavily. Remove from heat, stir in seasonings: salt, cayenne, parsley, chives and lemon juice. Let cool, cover and refrigerate.
Fill the croustades, mound the filling slightly. Sprinkle each with Parmesan cheese, dot with a speck of butter and arrange on a cookie sheet. Heat about 10 minutes in a preheated 350° oven; Watch them carefully as they burn easily.
©Sally Bernstein, 2006