Herb-Infused Goat Cheese & Sautéed Mushrooms Crostini

These Herb-Infused Goat Cheese & Sautéed Mushrooms Crostini are a quick and easy appetizer that's full of flavor and perfect for a dinner party. They are scrumptious! 

Although the holidays are over, my husband and I continue to entertain at home like it's still the middle of December. It's barely January 9th and we've already had three small gatherings at our house and it won't stop anytime soon.  

But, I don't have the time or energy to do full on dinner party menus and sit-down dinners (yet) so I rely on appetizers A LOT. I mean, really, all you need is good wine and delicious finger foods.

So, last weekend I wanted to switch things up a bit and make some appetizers that I hadn't done before. Yes, there's always Pinterest, but I actually picked up the phone (I made a voice call, GASP!) and asked my good friend Lavonne from Sage Blue Catering & Events for some ideas. 

She offered this Herb-Infused Goat Cheese & Sautéed Mushrooms Crostini recipe, as being a crowd favorite at her parties. It sounded perfect because it just so happens that I'm a big fan of mushrooms and always have a couple of bags in my fridge (mushroom cream soup with sherry is a staple in our house). 

So I made them last Saturday evening. Delish!

These crostini are actually great for in-between seasons because they're not quite springy fresh (pretty sure springy is not a word but you know what I mean) but light enough to where you don't feel like you're straying too far from your new year's resolution (you know which one I'm talking about!) 

There's really no tricks to this recipe, anyone can make it.

A bit of advice though. When buying your French baguette, try to avoid the super freshly baked ones because they make slicing difficult and uneven. I like to get a baguette that's already cold and has a crust a knife can cut into easily.    

Anyways, my guests loved these and left nothing behind. I love to finish off the platters after guests leave but on this occasion I was left with nothing....but that's how you know you have a winner. 

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 French baguette, sliced into 1/4″ thick slices, and slice a slight angle for longer pieces
• 4 tbl EVVO 
• 8 oz soft, herb-infused goat cheese
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 
• dash of garlic salt

For the herb-infused cream cheese you'll need:

• 1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs; rosemary, basil, thyme, Italian parsley,  anything on hand really 
• 1lb of sliced mushrooms, sliced (I like Shiitake mushrooms but you can use porcini, oyster mushrooms or any other type of small mushrooms) 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and lightly brush or drizzle with EVVO. Then sprinkle with salt and bake for 5-7 minutes; carefully remove pan; flip crostini over and bake another 5-7 more minutes or until desired browning occurs. Remove tray from oven and let them cool down.

2. Be sure not to overbake or the bread will get hard; you'll want them to be just crispy. 

3. While the crostini are baking, make your herb-infused cream cheese and your sauteed mushrooms. Start by chopping your herbs, then mix in with the the goat cheese and add salt. Mix gently with a spatula until you get a soft, smooth spread for the crostini.

4. Heat EVVO in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir mushrooms, garlic, and garlic salt until mushrooms are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer until mushrooms are tender, 5 to 8 more minutes.

5. Spread crostini with desired amount of the goat cheese, layer sautéed mushrooms, and enjoy.