Crostini with Mushrooms, Prosciutto and Blue Cheese

Happy New Year!!  Hope you had a festive holiday season!  I have taken these few weeks off with great gusto.  I love not having to be somewhere early.  Did you make a new year’s resolution?  Mine are to be more patient with the kids (already broke that yesterday morning) and to go to bed earlier (so far, so good but it’s day 3 – check back in with me in a week).

The holidays brought some great food and some delicious new appetizers to share.  This one is rich and creamy but an interesting winter alternative to summer’s tomato bruschetta.

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Happy birthday, Dad!  (don’t worry, I am not making this crostini (or anything else with mushrooms, asapargus or curry) as part of your birthday dinner but this might be…)

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Ingredients:

Crostini with Mushrooms, Prosciutto and Blue Cheese

1.      3 T butter

2.      ½ lb fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps chopped

3.      4 oz. crimini mushrooms, chopped

4.      2 garlic cloves, minced

5.      ½ c whipping cream

6.      ½ c (@ 2 oz.) crumbled blue cheese

7.      ½ c chopped thinly sliced prosciutto (@ 2 ½ oz.)

8.      18 – ½ inch thick diagonal bread slices cut from 1 sourdough baguette

9.      Chopped fresh parsley, optional

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high head.  Add all mushrooms and garlic and sauté until mushrooms are cooked through and brown, about 10 minutes.  Add cream and boil until liquid is completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add blue cheese and stir until cheese melts.  Mix in prosciutto.  Season to taste with salt and pepper (go easy – there is a lot of salt in the prosciutto).  Transfer mushroom topping to bowl.  (Mushroom topping can be made 1 day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate).

Preheat oven to 375.  Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet.  Bake until just golden, about 5 minutes.  Mound mushroom topping (about 1 T) on each slice.  Return to oven, bake until topping is heated through, about 6 minutes.  If you choose, sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.