Mushroom goat cheese toasts are elegant appetizers; if you are inclined, you can also serve them as a first course.
The mushrooms work magically with goat cheese and chives.
I selected my favorite savory shiitake and chanterelle mushrooms for this French appetizer, which I sauteed to a perfect golden color.
Goat cheese, gently mixed with fresh chives, absorbs the flavor and brings this dish to a new level.
A hint of garlic on a freshly toasted baguette.
The combination of goat cheese and mushrooms is pretty divine, and to add to simplicity, these toasts are super easy to make and are full of flavor.
Add a glass of bubbly, and you have the best Holiday appetizer.
When preparing this mushroom goat cheese toast for dinner, you can slice the bread a bit larger than you would for the appetizer, as it will rest on your dish, and cut it with a knife.
However, when you serve it as an appetizer, do not pile up too many mushrooms to fill it over the top. You do not want you and your guests to worry about spilling and losing the mushrooms when eating them.
You will see from reading this recipe that you need very few ingredients.
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I used shiitake and chanterelles in this recipe. However, choose any one mushroom of your liking. Blending will enhance the savory taste of the toasts.
Do clean them, and remove the bottom part of the stem that was close to the soil.
When slicing the mushrooms, keep them all the same size if possible.
After finishing sauteeing the mushrooms, season them with salt, not before, as they will render all the moisture and never become golden.
One of my favorite herbs in French cooking.
Delicate with a hint of raw onion, closer to the leek in flavor, chives bring an extra sharpness to any dish they garnish. Part of the onion family but does not have an edible bulb.
The long strand of the chives is the edible part. When purchasing the chives, ensure all the long strands are green and with no bruising.
Chives are neither green onion nor scallion.
When purchasing them, look for fresh, firm stems, and no wilting has started at the tip.
I like to roll mine in a paper towel, place it in a plastic bag and refrigerate it for a couple of days.
They grow wonderfully on a window sill, just in case you love them as much as I do and want to grow some. They give you fresh stems all year round.
You can find the printable recipe with all the correct ingredient amounts at the bottom of this post. This is just a quick introduction. Please read the full recipe instructions.
Goat cheese: make sure you buy one that is soft and spreadable. Purchase one that does not have added herbs or flavors. I do prefer purchasing the log type of goat cheese. Let it stand at room temperature before mixing in the chives. Much more manageable for you to blend them better together.
Mushrooms: Use as many different kinds of mushrooms as you have available. The greater the combinations of mushrooms, the more you will enjoy the fantastic texture and earthy flavor.
Shallots: The perfect pairing to mushrooms. Close in flavor to the onion, garlic, and chives, adding an extra layer of flavor to this dish. Select shallots that are small and tight with the skin perfectly attached.
Thyme: Fresh thyme is always best.
Sweet sherry: A light sweet liquor that enhances all the flavors when paired with your cooking. The perfect compliment companion to mushrooms as it elevated the earthy flavor. You can use cream of sherry if you have that on hand.
Chives: long strands that need a quick washing and drying, and you can either slice them thin with a knife or, better yet, herb scissors. The chives add a light sharpness to the goat cheese.
Garlic: Large, remove the skin and ensure there is no green germination stem in the middle of it. If yes, remove it, as it is bitter. The fresher, the better; it will release most of the oils when rubbed against the bread.
Fleur de sel - Sea salt: hand harvested from seawater, they are the perfect finishing salt that enhances the taste of all your food. Even used in desserts. A little bit goes a long way.
Unsalted butter: Best for all cooking purposes. Always use unsalted unless specified in the recipe.
This makes this appetizer perfect. I would not recommend using sourdough. A fresh baguette is the best.
Being French, we do have a serious relationship with our baguette.
I miss more than anything the calling fragrance of bread baking. It is a different experience biting into a still-warm baguette.
I have found a good one here at my local grocery store, they bake in-house, and early in the morning, they are putting them out still warm.
Not Paris, but close enough.
I only recommend what I use and love. To achieve this recipe, I used the following:
Small mixing bowl
Cutting board
Knife and serrated bread knife
Large skillet
Herbs scissors
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Serving plate or wooden serving plate
Have all the ingredients at room temperature before starting.
Be advised not to let the bread over toast. It will make it hard and not as easy to bite into; therefore, enjoy it. Use the picture below to guide how much toasting you want your bread to be.
Yes, you can prepare the mushrooms up to a couple of hours in advance. Keep them covered in an air-tight glass container at room temperature. Reheat over medium-low heat before serving.
You can store the goat cheese with the chives overnight, and I do not recommend it longer as the chives will continue to penetrate the goat cheese giving it a robust flavor.
The same goes for the mushrooms. Air-tight glass container overnight. Bring back to room temperature and warm up over a medium-high stove for a few minutes. Add a dab
Sweet sherry can be substituted with sweet vermouth. Also, cream of sherry will work here.
Dry thyme can be used instead of fresh thyme.
Vegan cheese for the goat cheese.
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?Mushroom and Goat Cheese Toasts, and hundreds of easy dinner recipes.
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