
- Melissa Pasanen ©️ Seven Days
- Mushrooms and cheese on toast
Opening the fridge door at 6:30 p.m. on a recent evening, I came face to face with a carton of button mushrooms and a big bag of kale. It was late, my husband and I were hungry and I wanted to pull something together quickly.
There was half of a sourdough loaf in the bread box. (One of the best things I have done during 2020 is delegate custodianship of the sourdough starter to my husband, who has become quite an accomplished bread baker.) And I had treated myself to a round of Weybridge cheese made by Scholten Family Farm in, yes, Weybridge.

- Melissa Pasanen ©️ Seven Days
- Freshly baked sourdough loaf (for which I can take no credit)
Thirty minutes later we sat down to watch some improv on TV with a bowl of wilted kale and a platter of crisp toasts topped with wedges of creamy, mushroomy cheese softened by generous scoops of thyme- and red wine-infused mahogany mushrooms spooned over them while hot.
It was the best kind of finger food: messy to eat, but delicious and deeply satisfying. I have since resolved to serve up at least one supper a week on toast. What would you put on it?
Mushrooms and Cheese on Toast
Serves 2 for supperIngredients
- ¾ pound mushrooms, such as button, cremini, oyster or beech
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon coarse salt, divided, plus more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- splash of dry white wine or medium-bodied red wine (optional)
- good crusty bread, sliced and toasted
- 1 wheel of bloomy rinded cheese, similar to Brie or Camembert, sliced while cool, then bring to room temperature
- Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth or soft brush and trim any tough stems (save for mushroom stock if desired). Quarter button or cremini mushrooms, tear oyster mushrooms into 1-inch pieces, leave beech mushrooms whole.
- In a large sauté pan, set over medium heat, warm the first 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the mushrooms with ½ teaspoon of the salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to give up their liquid.
- Add the shallot plus the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. If the pan is dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Add a good splash of wine if desired.
- Continue to cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender, about 8-12 minutes depending on kind of mushrooms. (Button and cremini will take the longest.)
- Stir in the thyme leaves and cook another 30 seconds. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
- While the mushrooms are cooking, lay toast slices on a platter and top each with a wedge of cheese. When the mushrooms are done, top each slice with a spoonful of hot mushrooms and serve immediately.
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