I can’t believe I have made it this far in life without making this recipe, or at least some semblance of it. Balsamic mushroom toasts are one of life’s small joys. They can be an appetizer, a snack, a side… you name it and they will fill the void. The recipe comes together in a snap, with few ingredients and is full of rich flavours.I made them two ways because I wasn’t sure what I wanted. One with a light drizzle of truffle oil and the other with a smear of goat cheese and no truffle oil. The truffle oil version was my clear favourite but that isn’t to say the cheese version wasn’t good as well. I just found the goat cheese a little over powering and will probably try this recipe with ricotta next time. Either way, all that you need to know is that you are missing out on LIFE if you haven’t had

balsamic mushrooms on toast!

Balsamic Mushrooms on a Raft

(makes 2)

1 tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, chopped

6-8 medium/large mushrooms, cut into pieces

1 tbsp good balsamic vinegarHandful fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

2 thick slices of ciabatta, or other crusty bread

Options

Good olive oil

Truffle oil

Goat Cheese

Ricotta?

Heat up a large frypan to medium high. Add butter and let melt. Saute garlic for 1 minute, until fragrant but not brown.Add mushrooms to pan stirring occasionally for a few minutes.Toast bread until well done.Add fresh parsley, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste to the mushrooms. Stir.Once mushrooms are cooked through, turn off immediately. Stir in a bit more fresh parsley for color.At this point you can do whatever you want. Pile the mushrooms high on a piece of toast that has been brushed with some good quality olive oil. Skip the olive oil and drizzle the mushroom toast with truffle oil. Skip the oils all together and add crumbled goat cheese or ricotta. It’s all good.