Creamy Oyster & Mushroom Crostini

Bread is my favorite food, hands-down. When I lived alone, it wouldn’t be unusual for me to make bruschetta, garlic bread, or some other bread-plus-condiment concoction for dinner, but unfortunately my boyfriend doesn’t think that toasted baguette constitutes a meal. Bon Appetit’s recent article with Noma’s head chef (voted the world’s best restaurant, no biggie), however, got me back to my old ways with his recipe for mushroom and oyster sourdough toasts. Oysters, wild mushrooms, sourdough bread, cream – the combination was so good that my boyfriend allowed me to serve it for dinner (plus a green salad), but it would also make an elegant appetizer for a dinner party. 

Creamy Oyster & Mushroom Crostini:

• Heat 2 tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium heat and add in two 1/2" thick slices of sourdough baguette.
• Cook the bread for 3-4 minutes a side, or until golden brown. Repeat with 2 additional slices of bread.
• Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and crank the heat up to medium-high.
• Add in 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1/2 lb. wild mushrooms,* chopped into bite-size pieces.
• Let mushrooms cook for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Season with salt.
• Remove 1/3 of the mushrooms to a plate, then add in 1 large minced shallot, 1 tbsp. butter, and 1/3 c. creme fraiche.
• Lower heat to a simmer and let cream mixture thicken for 3 minutes.
• Add in 1/2 lb. roughly chopped, freshly shucked oysters and cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until oysters are just cooked through.
• Stir in 1 heaping tbsp. of freshly minced parsely.
• Divide and spoon oyster-mushroom mixture on top of bread and then layer reserved sauteed mushrooms on top.
• Sprinkle with a little more parsley and flaked sea salt.**
• Eat immediately, and enjoy.***

Serves four (appetizer)
Serves two (main course)
*I used hedgehog mushrooms I got at our farmers' market.
**Totally optional, but totally delicious.
***Otherwise the bread will get soggy.

Spaghetti with Brussels Sprouts & Goat Cheese

Sometimes the simplest dishes to make are the most delicious. This meal only has 5 ingredients (brussels sprouts, whole-wheat pasta, goat cheese, lemon zest, and garlic) but it really doesn’t need anything else. It’s a great way to showcase some great brussels sprouts that I picked up this weekend at the farmer’s market, but any other in-season vegetable would work great as a substitute. Same thing goes for the cheese, as I originally planned to use an aged Parmesan but realized I had some goat cheese in my fridge already. It’s the perfect thing to whip up when you don’t want to go to the store or when you don’t have much time to cook.

Spaghetti with Brussels Sprouts & Goat Cheese:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with salt, and cook 1/2 lb. pasta until 1-2 minutes before its al dente.
• Meanwhile, thinly slice 3/4 lb. brussels sprouts horizontally so that you are left with thin shreds of the sprouts.
• Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet and add in 4 large cloves of minced garlic.
• Cook garlic for a minute, then add in the sprouts, salt, and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until wilted.
• Add in the zest of one lemon and continue cooking the sprouts until tender and caramelized.
• Drain the pasta, reserving 1 c. pasta cooking water.
• Add in half the water to the brussels sprouts and reduce the heat to low.
• Add in the pasta, 3 oz. crumbled goat cheese, and toss to combine.
• Add more water as necessary to form a sauce and toss until the cheese melts into a sauce.
• Season with salt and pepper as necessary, then divide onto plates and serve.

Serves two - three

Asian Pear Martini

A refreshing fruity cocktail with an Asian twist

We received a beautiful bar cabinet for our apartment a few months ago and have been actively stocking it with nice booze and other fancy drinking essentials ever since. I’d be lying if I said that we haven’t been having a few more cocktails since it’s arrival, but it’s sort of impossible to pass by our gorgeous alcohol shrine everyday without being tempted to make a drink. To that end, I’ve been experimenting with new drink recipes at home and this Asian pear martini is definitely my best attempt thus far. Multiple drinks can be prepared in advance and then shaken to order, making it the perfect low-maintenance cocktail to serve at a party. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll prepare a batch to keep in the fridge and have an instant pick-me-up when you arrive home after a long day of work.


Related Recipes:
- Kumquatinis
- Miso Asian Pear Salad
- Jalapeno Margaritas


Asian Pear Martinis:

• Heat 1/2 c. water and 1 c. sugar in a small saucepan until boiling. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until sugar just dissolves, about 3-5 minutes.
• Let simple syrup cool for at least 15 minutes.*
• Meanwhile, peel, remove the stem and core, and chop 2 large Asian pears.**
• Combine pears with 2 c. high-quality vodka, 1/4 c. vermouth, 1/2 c. freshly squeezed lime juice, and simple syrup in a blender. 
• Blend until smooth, then transfer some of the mixture to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until ice forms around the outside of the shaker.
• Strain into martini glasses and garnish each with a slice of Asian pear.

Serves six - eight
*Can be done the day before and kept in the fridge.
**Asian pears are crunchy and look like apples but taste more like juicy pears. I usually buy them at my farmer's market, but they should be available at some grocery stores.