Creamy Mushrooms on Toast

Name: Creamy Mushrooms on Toast
Yield: Makes 24 toasts.
Cuisine: russian
Ingredients: 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 small shallots, finely chopped; 1 sprig thyme; 1/4 cup dry white wine; 2 tablespoons heavy cream; 2 tablespoons sour cream; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, plus more for garnish

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Mushrooms and cream go way back in Russian cooking. In my family, we often cooked chanterelles (which were dirt cheap in Russia, can you believe it?) with onions, herbs, and sour cream to mix with pasta. Here in America, chanterelles are a bit pricey and aren't easy to find. But cremini mushrooms are widely available, so I tried my hand at substituting those. With some white wine and a dash of heavy cream blended with sour cream (it's Russian, of course there's sour cream!) my mushrooms turned out to be quite heavenly. They make an excellent appetizer, served atop pieces of buttered, toasted brioche.

Yield: Makes 24 toasts.

Yield: Makes 24 toasts.

Ingredients

1/2 pound cremini mushrooms

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 small shallots, finely chopped

1 sprig thyme

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons sour cream

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, plus more for garnish

Directions

6 slices brioche, toasted, crusts removed if preferred, each piece cut into 4 squares
Using a cloth or paper towel, clean mushrooms to remove the grit and dirt. Finely chop mushrooms and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Saute shallots and thyme until soft, 3 minutes. Add the remaining butter and mushrooms and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add the wine, reduce heat to medium, cover and saute 5 minutes until the alcohol has evaporated.
While the mushrooms cook, in a small bowl, stir together the heavy cream, sour cream, salt, and pepper. When wine has mostly evaporated, stir the dairy mixture and the chives into the mushrooms until combined. Remove from heat. Spoon mushroom mixture on toasted bread. Sprinkle with chives if you like.