Recipe: Mushroom Crostini

This recipe was part of Atlantic blogger Megan McArdle's vegan brunch test: Is it possible to feed brunch to five people without their realizing that it is vegan? Surprisingly, the answer was yes.

    • 1 8-ounce container button mushrooms
    • 1 8-ounce container oyster mushrooms
    • 1 8-ounce container baby bella mushrooms
    • 1 8-ounce container shitake mushrooms
    • dried porcini
    • ½ cup marsala wine or port
    • olive oil
    • garlic
    • loaf of french bread (or any bread that doesn't have milk or eggs in it)

Put four or five dried porcini mushrooms in a small dish and cover with half the marsala and half a cup of water or vegetable stock. Soak for at least half an hour. (Can be done overnight.)

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Slice the bread into one to or one and a half-inch rounds (depending on how bready you want it) and arrange the slices on a cookie sheet. Toast in the oven until golden brown.

Slice the mushrooms and fry in olive oil until golden brown. (I used two pans). Add two to four cloves of crushed garlic and saute for thirty seconds. Add the marsala/porcini mixture. Cook until the wine is reduced to a thick glaze on the mushrooms. Spoon over the toast rounds.