Toast isn’t just for breakfast! You’ll love this gourmet mushroom toast recipe topped with creamy sautéed mushrooms just as much for dinner.
I’m obsessed with mushrooms.
I add them to everything. I actually buy a couple of pounds of mushrooms every two weeks so we can add them to most of the dinners we make. I can’t resist ordering a dish made with mushrooms when we go out to eat. How can they be sooooo good!?
You can see other mushroom dishes on the blog including a grown up mac & cheese, vegetarian ramen and kale mushroom pasta. This toast might be my favorite mushroom recipe yet.
Read on for the gourmet mushroom toast recipe…
Making Time for Good Food
This summer, Wente Vineyards announced their #MakeTime initiative. The goal is to encourage us to make time for the things – and people – that matter most. The idea is less screen time and more face time.
Time Pat and I spend cooking meals together means time not looking at a screen. We’re working on leaving our phones in another room so we’re not tempted to jump on those buzzes and notifications. It really puts the quality back into quality time for us. An evening spent making a delicious meal together is such a better way to spend time than endlessly scrolling through our social media feeds.
I’ve been working on this challenge for three months and I think it’s helping. At first, I was thinking of my phone even when it was not near me, but as time passes I noticed this doesn’t happen as much. I’m able to detach better and don’t have a fear that I’m missing something.
This video from Wente really inspired me to check in on my own screen time and be more mindful of it:
Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Pinot Noir
The Riva Ranch Pinot Noir is a single vineyard Pinot Noir from Wente’s vineyard in Arroyo Seco, Monterey. This vineyard is special because of its long, cool growing season. The early morning fogs and warm afternoons allowed the grapes to ripen, then rest, giving it a deep fruit flavor. The soil is rich with shale and limestone which gives the wine an earthiness that pairs well with the mushrooms on this toast.
The wine has notes of red fruits like black cherry and cranberry. You’ll also notice baking spices like coriander, cloves, and cinnamon which are especially welcome as we move into the cooler months of the year. The tannins in the wine grab your attention and balance the wine’s smooth finish. It’s complex and elegant.
You might be surprised, and maybe even skeptical, that I paired this elegant wine with what is traditionally breakfast food. Don’t worry though, this isn’t your ordinary toast. This is a gourmet meal fit for dinner and perfect for Pinot Noir.
Mushroom Toast from Gjelina Restaurant in Venice, California
This recipe is lightly adapted from the mushroom toast at Gjelina restaurant in Venice, California. People line up around the block to get a table at Gjelina and many of them are there just to eat this mushroom toast! Luckily, Gjelina shared the recipe in their cookbook, Cooking from Venice, California. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do, with a few modifications to make it even easier for a home cook.
Homemade Garlic Confit Recipe
The first step in making this toast is making garlic confit. By roasting garlic in olive oil, they become tender and mild enough to slice and serve on the toast.
Place the cloves of garlic and thyme in an oven safe dish and cover with oil. Roast. The garlic cloves and garlic olive oil will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
This garlic confit is a great way to add extra flavor to any dish that calls for garlic. I also use the oil in salad dressings and used it in this recipe to brush on the toast before adding the mushrooms.
Creamy Vegetarian Sautéed Mushrooms Recipe
Searing the mushrooms locks in their color and flavor. The high heat immediately burns off any water that is released to keep your toast from getting soggy. Crème fraîche and reduced white wine finish things off to make a creamy sauce. This recipe calls for an assortment of gourmet mushrooms. As I mentioned, I’m a mushroom fiend, and I love experimenting with the mushrooms that are available at our local grocery store. My favorites are hen of the woods and chanterelle, which are what I used for this recipe.
Start by searing the mushrooms without stirring.
Homemade or store-bought crème fraîche gives a lovely creaminess.
Mushroom Bruschetta Appetizer Recipe
These sautéed mushrooms also work great as an appetizer in the form of mushroom bruschetta. The recipe is basically the same, just use sliced and toasted baguette instead of ciabatta bread.
Why this Recipe for Mushroom Toast is the Best:
- Mushrooms make any recipe better. It’s basically science. 🙂
- You can have fun experimenting with new and unique mushrooms that are in season.
- This toast is just as delicious for dinner as it is for breakfast. I suggest pairing it with Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Pinot Noir.
- This recipe is easily converted to bruschetta for a fun appetizer recipe.
Gourmet Mushroom Toast for Dinner
Toast isn’t just for breakfast! You’ll love this gourmet mushroom toast recipe topped with creamy sautéed mushrooms for dinner too.
Adapted from Gjelina Restaurant’s Cookbook, Cooking from Venice, California
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Roasted Garlic Confit Ingredients (makes extra):
- 2 cups olive oil
- 8 heads garlic, peeled
- 12 sprigs thyme
- 3 bay leaves
Sautéed Mushroom Toast Ingredients:
- 1/2 loaf ciabatta bread
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound mushrooms, such as nameko, hen of the woods, chanterelle, porcini, matsutake
- 6 cloves garlic confit, sliced (recipe below)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup (8 ounces) crème fraîche (Homemade Option*)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme, destemmed
Instructions
How to Make Roasted Garlic Confit:
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Combine olive oil, garlic, thyme and bay leaves in a medium baking dish sized appropriately so garlic is completely submerged and covered in about 1 inch of oil.
- Bake until garlic cloves are soft and lightly browned, about 45-60 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Garlic confit can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months as long. They must remain completely covered with olive oil to prevent air from reaching them.
Make the Gourmet Mushroom Toast:
- Brush both sides of the sliced bread with olive oil and toast. Once toasted, brush both sides lightly with olive oil again.
- Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms by cooking without stirring until they are well browned. You can do this in batches if the pan seems crowded. Toss mushrooms with a spatula and sear for another 30 seconds or so.
- Add the garlic confit and season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the crème fraîche until well incorporated. Cook until slightly thickened and glossy. Taste for salt and add more in necessary. Stir in the parsley and thyme.
- Place toasted bread on plates and spoon the mushroom mixture on top, dividing it evenly. Serve immediately.
Notes
* Homemade Créme Fraîche must be made 1 day to 2 weeks in advance. Sour cream will not work as a substitute for this recipe.
Thank you so much to Wente Vineyards for sponsoring this post and reminding me to for the people and things that matter. All opinions are my own. Thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that help me bring you beautiful content!
Craving fancy toast? Pin this recipe for later!
Mushroom has always been my favorite. I will surely try this recipe.
Looks good! Can’t wait to make this!
You mention bay leaves and parsley as ingredients but you don’t list them in your recipe; what quantity, at what point do you add these ingredients?
The photos are fabulous, enticing! But everything about the recipe seems somewhat vague.
When do you add the creme fraiche, etc.?
Hi Zin – I’m sorry you find the recipe vague. Here are the answers to your questions, cut-and-pasted from the text of the recipe:
2. Combine olive oil, garlic, thyme and bay leaves in a medium baking dish sized appropriately so garlic is completely submerged and covered in about 1 inch of oil.
4. Stir in the crème fraîche until well incorporated. Cook until slightly thickened and glossy. Taste for salt and add more in necessary. Stir in the parsley and thyme.
I hope that helps.
It helps very much and thank you for the speedy reply! That’s lunch for tomorrow, sorted out!