Last week, I finally sat down with my three-month-old pin loom and started weaving coasters. My mom got me the loom for my birthday so that I would stop giving everyone potholders for Christmas. To make these coasters, you wind one color of yarn around the loom three times, creating both warp and weft. Then you take a second color, thread it on a long weaving needle, and weave until the square is complete. Finishing is the easy part: you pry the whole thing from the loom and the loops settle into a tighter weave, a self-sufficient square.
Why am I telling you this? Because last week, I confided in my coffee date how I didn’t have time for homemade gifts this year, for tying up bags of cookies or giving a meal as a gift or planning a latke party for friends. For a couple of months, it’s felt like I haven’t planted myself in a chair and just sat still there. I haven’t paused to weave, to watch more than a single TV show (Scandal, Nashville) in one session. I haven’t made a meal with more than one dish, let alone an appetizer. And so, weaving has forced a pause. Relaxation. Enjoying the evenings. Making an extra dish or two for dinner.
Like, this hors d’oeuvres, cheesy, gooey, and delicious, which will slowing down dinner, giving time to sit for a bit with drinks and snacks before moving to the main course.
Something cheesy and savory to linger over, then-that’s what I had in mind when I created these as part of a group menu with the other bloggers who’ve been working with Sargento all year. Back in February, we all started covering food trends, everything from food trucks to herbs in dessert to Peruvian cuisine. I took on Middle Eastern food, and I hope you’ve loved the bright flavors, the doses of pomegranate molasses, and all the lentils as much as I have.
Back to my crostini.
There are seared mushroom slices, rich-tasting and bright with herbes de provence. I piled squares of Sargento Swiss cheese onto bite-sized baguette slices beneath the mushrooms, and these mini toasts are just killer. Really killer. Slow down and smell the seared mushrooms. Weave. Hang out. That’s what I’ll be doing.
Keep scrolling to see the recipe and all the other dishes that are part of the menu!
**Recipe**
Cheesy Mushroom Crostini
Makes 24 bites
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Salt
¾ teaspoon herbes de provence or thyme
12 slices thin Swiss cheese, cut into 4 squares each
1 medium baguette, cut into 24 ½-inch slices
Place a large frying pan over high heat and let it heat up for about 5 minutes. Add enough oil to generously film the bottom, then add only enough mushrooms to create a single layer. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes without touching the mushrooms, then stir, aiming to flip the mushrooms (but don’t worry if you can’t flip every slice). Cook another 3 minutes, until golden brown on each side. Salt well. Remove to a bowl and continue with more oil and another batch of sliced mushroms.
When all the ‘shrooms are cooked, preheat the oven to 350°F. Drizzle, spray, or brush both sides of each slice with olive oil. Bake the bread for 2-3 minutes, until slightly crispy. Place two quarter slices of swiss onto each slice and top with a heaping tablespoon of mushrooms. Bake for another 4 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is melty.
Above is the rest of the cheesy dinner menu we all created with Sargento. Links below!
Cheesy Mushroom Crostini (right here!)
The Fountain Avenue Kitchen, Wild Rice and Sausage Casserole
Baked Bree, Ham and Cheese Pinwheels
The Noble Pig, Cheesy Browned Butter-Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
The Naptime Chef, Savory Rosemary and Bacon Bread Pudding
Flanboyant Eats, French Onion Soup
This sponsored post is part of an ongoing collaboration with Sargento, called Flavor Journey. Throughout the year, with the support of Sargento, I’m exploring Middle Eastern cuisine–at home, in Brooklyn, at cooking classes, and wherever the flavors may take me. You can see the whole series here. Sponsored posts let me do some of my best work on this blog, and I only ever work with brands whose values and products mesh with the content I love to produce for you. Here’s my affiliate disclosure.
