Morel crostini is a great, easy to make hors d’oeuvre to impress guests, or simply to enjoy yourself. The sweet, yet tart flavor of balsamic vinegar balances well with morels, making this an exciting treat.

For tips about finding, harvesting, and cooking with morels, read our post Cooking With Morels.

I began making my crostini by baking slices of French bread, after brushing them with olive oil. Generally you will want smaller, round, fine textured bread when making your crostini, like baguette or French bread. Wide, sourdough type breads are better suited for making crostini’s tomatoey counterpart- bruschetta.

As my bread toasted, I began to heat up balsamic vinegar in a small pot, and sautéed my shallots and morels in a pan.

The bread toasted quickly, and as soon as it began to golden, I pulled it from the oven, placed my bread slices on a plate, and topped with my sautéed mushrooms and shallots. I kept an eye on the balsamic vinegar, stirring occasionally until it began to thicken, then carefully drizzled the glaze onto the crostini. A tasty treat indeed!

Ingredients

  • Handful of morels
  • 1 loaf french bread
  • 1 shallot
  • 1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp choice of cooking oil or butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Slice your bread and arrange on baking tray. Brush each piece with oil or butter. Bake until lightly toasted, 10-15 minutes. Place on serving tray to cool.
  3. Slice your shallot and morels.
  4. Heat your choice of cooking oil or butter in a pan, and sauté the shallot and morels, 5- 7 minutes.
  5. In a small pot or pan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until it starts to have a honey consistency. Remove from heat.
  6. Top the toasted bread with the mixture of shallot and morel, then drizzle with the balsamic vinegar reduction.

Serves 3

Birdi Nagy – May 23 2021