Perfectly caramelized mushrooms with garlic and thyme on crispy toasted bread. Mushroom bruschetta is a great appetizer, snack or light lunch for mushroom lovers.
Hello mushroom fans! Have I got a treat for you today!
This is the absolute BEST mushroom bruschetta. I mean it.
The thing that distinguishes an okay mushroom from a great mushroom is how it's cooked. It's important that the mushroom is not limp and soggy, but that it is nicely caramelized and almost a little bit crispy on the outside while staying soft and juicy on the inside.
The mushrooms on this bruschetta are great mushrooms and paired with the thyme and garlic flavoured butter and oil they make for a simple yet absolutely delicious toast.
The secret to cooking great mushrooms cones down to two things: your pan, and not crowding it.
Mushrooms have a lot of moisture that is released when cooking, and when your pan is crowded they sit it in and tend to steam instead of brown. The browning is what gives them that deep rich mushroom flavour that bring this mushroom bruschetta to the next level, so cook this in as many batches as necessary.
The Ingredients
Like most of my favourite dishes, this mushroom bruschetta has a short list of fresh ingredients that bring a lot of flavour when put all together.
- mushrooms - I use cremini. They have more flavour and a nicer texture than white mushrooms. You could also add some king oyster mushrooms or wild mushrooms to this as well if you want to elevate it a bit.
- butter - for cooking and to enhance the flavour of the mushrooms.
- olive oil - to keep the butter from burning as we are cooking at a bit of a high temperature
- garlic - always fresh. It has so much more flavour than pre-minced garlic.
- fresh thyme - to season and flavour the butter and garlic which becomes a bit of a sauce for the mushrooms.
- crusty bread - I like to use a long ciabatta stick because I like the chewiness and the way it toasts, but a french stick will do to.
How to make it
Since excess water is the ememy of perfectly browned mushrooms instead of washing them under water we are going to simply wipe them clean with a paper towel, then slice them up.
Heat a large skillet (skip the nonstick here and use a nice stainless pan if you have one - it helps with the sear) to medium high heat and add the butter and the oil.
When the oil and butter are hot add only enough mushrooms to cover the bottom of the pan without crowding it.
Let the mushrooms cook for about a minute then add some garlic and thyme. Since we are cooking this in batches if you added half the mushrooms add half the garlic and thyme and so on.
Turn the mushrooms occasionally and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the are nicely browned. While the mushrooms cook also pay attention to the garlic - you don't want to cook that past a light golden colour, any more and you could burn it.
When the mushroom and garlic have cooked remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and continue to cook the remaining mushrooms in as many batches as necessary.
Toast the bread pieces in a 400℉ oven for a couple of minutes or until the tops of the slices have lightly browned and crisped a bit then remove them from the oven.
Top with the mushroom mixture (after removing the twigs from the thyme) and drizzle each piece with a bit of the flavoured oil from the pan. Serve garnished with some chopped chives and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
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Mushroom Bruschetta
Equipment
Ingredients:
- ½ ciabatta stick (or French stick) - cut into 6 slices
- 4 oz cremini mushrooms - sliced
- 1.5 Tablespoons butter
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic - sliced
- 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1⁄4 teaspoon lemon juice
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 400℉ and brush the bread slices with a bit of olive oil.
- Place the bread on a baking sheet and let the pieces toast for about 5 minutes or until the top of the bread crisps a bit.
- Heat a large skillet to medium high heat and add the olive oil and butter.
- When the olive oil and butter have heated add as many mushrooms as you can without crowding the pan. Depending on the size of the pan this will be about half.
- Add half the garlic slices and thyme.
- Let the mushrooms cook for about 3-4 minutes while turning occasionally. They will be ready when they have crisped and browned a bit on the outside.
- While the mushrooms are cooking also pay attention to the garlic - if it has turned a nice golden colour then garlic is done and cooking it any further is risking burning it.
- Cook the next batch of mushrooms the same way, but when they are done cooking reduce the heat to low and return all the mushrooms to the skillet to warm them up. Add the lemon juice and stir it through to mix.
- Remove the twigs from the thyme from the mushrooms then spoon them over the bread slices. Drizzle the tops of the bruschetta with a bit of the oil left in the pan.
Nutrition
* nutritional information is calculated by online tools and may not be 100% accurate.
Addison says
What a creative and delicious idea!
Courtney says
Thank you!
Chef Dennis says
This Mushroom Bruschetta looks really appetizing!
Courtney says
Thank you!
Elizabeth says
Great recipe! Will make again!
Courtney says
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!