MIXED WILD MUSHROOM SAUTé ON TOAST POINTS WITH GRUYèRE

Mixed Wild Mushroom Sauté on Toast Points with Gruyère image

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (twice around the pan)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds assorted mushrooms, such as cremini (baby portobello), portobello, shiitake, or fresh porcini, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme plus a few sprigs for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry sherry or dry white wine
1 cup beef stock or broth
1/2 cup cream or half-and-half
8 slices wheat, whole-grain, or white sliced bread, toasted
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese (1/2-pound brick)

Steps:

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the EVOO and butter. When the butter melts, add the garlic and shallots and swish around for 30 seconds, then add the mushrooms and combine. Sprinkle the chopped thyme over the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms, stirring frequently, until they brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Do not season mushrooms before they brown. Salt draws out liquid and will make the mushrooms wet and as a result, they will actually take longer to brown.) Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, stirring to evenly distribute. Whisk the sherry into the pan first and cook it off for a minute, then whisk in the stock. Thicken the stock for a minute, then add the cream and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
Cut the toasted bread from corner to corner. Arrange 4 triangles of toast on each dinner plate. Pour one quarter of the mushrooms across each portion and top with lots of Gruyère and with thyme sprigs. Serve with a tossed green salad or baby spinach salad.
You can make this dish (and variations, #273 or #274) vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth for the stock.