In light of the North Nordic Festival taking place in New York City, a 7-day extravaganza featuring Nordic cuisine, I developed a Swedish-influenced appetizer: Chanterelle Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini. With harsh winters, out of necessity many home cooks in Sweden learn the art of preserving, whether it’s canning, smoking, fermenting, salting, or drying. These arts in and of themselves produce their own magical taste qualities and are all integral to Swedish cuisine. Even cheese-making in Sweden has traditionally been a way to preserve milk. And during the more temperate months, Swedes take full advantage of nature’s edible offerings: Harvesting wild herbs, picking berries (lingonberries, cloudberries, blueberries), and gathering and drying juniper berries to season their meats. Foraging for wild mushrooms is another Swedish tradition, which leads us to today’s treat. Chanterelle Mushrooms. That’s right, it’s chanterelle season! My husband Todd and I harvested these ourselves last week in our local forests.
Chanterelles are considered the most prized mushrooms in Sweden. They are commonly sauteed and served as a side dish next to meat, or on bread as sandwiches. Open-faced sandwiches to be exact. Always open-faced in Sweden. Sandwiches are a hallmark of Swedish cuisine and have been enjoyed since the 15th century when thick slabs of bread were used as plates. You’ll find a variety of open-faced sandwiches in any Swedish restaurant and they’re eaten at home on an almost daily basis. For example, seafood sandwiches piled high with shrimp, creme fraiche, herbs, tomato, cucumber, boiled eggs…the combinations are as endless. A chanterelle mushroom sandwich would commonly be served with rye bread. We’re going to bump today’s hors d’oeuvres up a few notches on the “fancy scale” by replacing the rye bread with crispy crostini. Another aspect of Swedish cuisine is that it has long welcomed and embraced other culinary influences. So today we’re incorporating a touch of Italy. And we’re going to pair it with goat cheese, another ingredient with a long history in Sweden. These Chanterelle Crostini are irresistible. Enjoy them as appetizers with nice meal or as classy hors d’oeuvres for your social gathering. Either way, I promise you won’t be able to stop at one…or two.
Chanterelle Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini Recipe
Let’s get started! Slice the baguette. Be sure to slice at a slight diagonal or the flavor of the crostini will be completely ruined. No, not really. But it does make it look a touch fancier.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the slices on a baking sheet.
Drizzle with some good-quality extra virgin olive oil.
Bake for 13-15 minutes until crispy and very light golden brown.
Chanterelle mushrooms meet Crostini. Yes, this is going to be good. Very good.
Chop the chanterelles, fresh parsley and thyme, and finely mince the garlic and shallots.
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until soft, about 4 minutes.
Add the chanterelle mushrooms, the salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. If the mixture is a little too dry at first, don’t worry – the mushrooms will soon release liquid.
Saute the mushrooms until soft and the juices have evaporated, about 6-8 minutes. Add the wine and quickly bring to a full boil for one minute.
Reduce the heat, add the herbs, and simmer for 2 minute or until the liquid has evaporated.
Spread the crostini with some spreadable goat cheese. If you don’t like goat cheese, you can use a delicate spreadable cheese of your choice or some cream cheese.
Top with some of the mushroom mixture and add a little sprig of fresh thyme, if desired.
Serve to your friends and loved ones…or horde them to yourself (I wouldn’t blame you if you did)…and, most importantly, enjoy!
For another delicious and traditional Swedish dish be sure to try our Kalops! Read more about me…
