Mushrooms on Toast

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17 April 2018 BY Julie Biuso
SERVES: Makes 8

Aaron McLean

Sometimes I yearn for something hot and cheesy, all sort of melty and dribbly. That’s when I bring out the big guns: Ta-dah! Mushrooms on toast, but not just any old mushrooms on toast, this is the no-compromise, flavour-packed, cheesy, melty richer-than-rich version. Yeah. Brilliant. Just make these, you’ll have no regrets.

Ingredients

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8 large brown portobello mushrooms Extra virgin olive oil 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced 2 Tbsp marjoram leaves, or 1 tsp dried oregano Sea salt 25g (about 1½ Tbsp) butter 2 Tbsp chopped peeled shallots 2 level Tbsp standard flour 1½ cups whole milk 1 tsp creamy Dijonnaise mustard ¼ tsp salt 1 cup grated tasty cheddar cheese 8 slices grainy bread, toast thickness, (in NZ I use Vogel Original Wholegrain) 2 Tbsp panko breadcrumbs 2 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese Thyme leaves to garnish, optional Rocket (arugula) leaves to garnish

Method

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1 Preheat oven to 190°C (375F°). Wipe mushrooms with a clean cloth then rub the outsides with a little oil. Put mushrooms  in a shallow ovenproof dish lined with non-stick foil. Scatter with sliced garlic and marjoram or oregano, sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 15 minutes, until tender.

2 Put butter and shallots in a small saucepan, cover with a lid and cook gently for several minutes until tender; keep the heat low or the shallots will burn. Remove pan from the heat and stir in flour, then milk one-third at a time, and mustard. Bring to the boil, stirring, and cook for 1 minute. Season with ¼ teaspoon of salt and blend in half the cheddar. Cover pan with a lid and cool sauce for 5 minutes.

3 Preheat oven grill. Toast the bread, ensuring it gets nicely crunchy (I do this in a toaster rather than under the grill).

4 Transfer mushrooms to a plate. If they are full of liquid (this happens with nicely juicy mushrooms), pour off the excess. Wipe out the ovenproof dish. Put the pieces of toast in the dish and top each with a mushroom. Spoon over cheese sauce, making sure all the toast is covered, particularly the edges. Scatter with remaining cheddar, then the crumbs and parmesan. Grill until cheese and crumbs are bubbling and golden, strew with a little thyme if liked, add a few rocket leaves on the side, serve and scoff up!

Photography Aaron McLean http://www.aaronmclean.com

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