Creamy Wild Mushroom Toast Points

Preparation

1. To prepare cream sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Add broth and wine and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the rice is very soft and the liquid is greatly reduced, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly.
2. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree, in batches if necessary, until smooth. (Alternatively, puree in the pot with an immersion blender.) The consistency should be similar to a pourable sauce; add more broth or water as needed. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, preferably white pepper.
3. To prepare mushroom toasts: Preheat oven to 400°F.
4. Place porcini in a bowl, add warm water and let soak for about 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, brush baguette slices with 2 teaspoons oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Arrange on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside on the baking sheet until ready to serve.
6. Cut fresh mushrooms into 1-inch pieces. Line a sieve with a paper towel, place over a bowl and strain the porcini; reserve the liquid. Squeeze the porcini to remove excess water, then chop into 1/2-inch pieces.
7. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot (or green onion) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add all the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they begin to brown and the moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes. (Add a few tablespoons of the mushroom-soaking liquid if the mushrooms start sticking.) Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved soaking liquid, 1 cup of the Cream Sauce, mustard and sherry to the pan. Heat, stirring, just until the mixture starts to bubble. Return the mushrooms to the pan, season with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste and gently stir until heated through.
8. To serve, top each toast with about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the mushroom mixture and garnish with basil, if desired.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate cream sauce (Steps 1 & 2) for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or using the defrost setting on your microwave.

• Tip: To make the sauce vegetarian, we like to use chicken-flavored vegetarian broth over regular vegetable broth for its hearty, rich flavor and pale yellow color. Look for “no-chicken” broth in the natural-foods section of well-stocked supermarkets.

Nutrition