Mushroom And Camembert Crostini On Butter Lettuce With Truffle Vinaigrette

By á-170456

Ingredients

• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons black truffle paste in oil
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Freshly-ground white pepper --to taste
• FOR THE CROSTINI:
• 1 regular or sourdough baguette about 3" dia, cut into 32 (1/4") thick slices
• 2 tablespoons olive oil - (to 3 tbspns) for brushing bread
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 portobello mushrooms (abt 3/4 lb total) stems removed, caps
• sliced 1/4" thk, then quartered crosswise
• 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms stems removed, caps
• sliced 1/4" thk, then cut thirds crosswise
• Salt to taste
• Freshly-ground white pepper --to taste
• 3 ounces Camembert cheese such as Old Chatham’s
• Hudson Valley Camembert at room temperature
• (or Brie or other soft-ripened cheese)
• FOR THE SALAD:
• 3 butter lettuce heads washed, and torn into large pieces
• 4 hard-boiled eggs finely grated or pressed through a sieve
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, truffle paste, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

To make the crostini: Preheat the broiler.

Brush the cut sides of the baguette slices with olive oil, and place under the broiler just until the bread is toasted on both sides. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until they are tender and the juices, if any, have cooked away. (Wild mushrooms release almost no juices.) If the mushrooms seem dry, add a few drops of chicken stock or water and continue to cook until they’re nice and tender and any remaining liquid has boiled away. (You want the mushrooms to be dry, almost crisp on the outside.) Add salt and a generous amount of pepper, and set aside.

Spread or spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons Camembert on each slice of the toast. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the cheese has melted (or maybe even dissapeared).

To assemble: Reheat the mushrooms if they have cooled, or, if you prefer, keep them at room temperature.

For the salad: Toss the lettuce and eggs with the dressing. Distribute on individual salad plates. Place 4 crostini on each plate, and top each one with about 1 tablespoon of the mushrooms. Sprinkle with a little parsley, and serve.

This recipe yields 8 servings.