Easy to make and packed with fall flavors, this recipe for mushroom and goat cheese crostini is perfect for fall. Made with an apricot goat cheese, fresh thyme, lemon, and shiitake mushrooms, this easy-to-make appetizer is a great addition to any get-together or holiday party.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes
Mushrooms
Shiitake mushrooms are best for this recipe because they have a meaty texture and less water content than other mushroom varieties. Chanterelle, maitake, and oyster mushrooms are all great alternatives. Avoid watery mushrooms like portobellos or white button mushrooms. And if you’ve got leftover mushrooms to use up, try our fan-favorite Hungarian Mushroom Soup!
Sherry
Sherry is used to deglaze the pan used for cooking the mushrooms. You can also use a dry white wine such as an unoaked chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. If you have sherry though, use that. It pairs wonderfully with the mushrooms and apricot.
Goat Cheese
For this appetizer, you’ll need fresh goat cheese labeled as chevre. Let it sit out at room temperature for a few minutes before mixing with the jam.
Jam
To add a bit of sweetness to this fall appetizer, we recommend using either apricot or fig jam. These jams can be found at your local farmer’s market or grocery in the condiment aisle.
Bread
We prefer to make these mushroom crostini with regular or whole-wheat baguette slices. Grab a baguette from your favorite bakery and either have them run it through their slicer, to slice it into crostini at home.
How to Make Mushroom Crostini
- Make the crostini: toast slices of baguette brushed with olive oil in the oven until golden brown and crunchy.
- Sauté the mushrooms: cook mushrooms until softened and golden brown, 12 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook briefly. Deglaze the pan with some sherry then season with lemon zest, salt and pepper.
- Make the apricot goat cheese: mix together fresh goat cheese and apricot preserves. Season with a bit of salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Assemble and serve: spread the goat cheese mixture over the crostini. Spoon the mushroom mixture over top, give it a quick drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of pecans and olive oil.
Mushroom Crostini Recipe Variations
- If you love this mushroom crostini, it also makes a great base recipe to change up. With just a few easy ingredient swaps and you can serve a new variation at every party this year!
- Thyme ↠ Rosemary then finish with fresh parsley
- Lemon ↠ Orange
- Apricot Jam ↠ Fig Jam
- Pecan ↠ Walnuts
- Olive Oil ↠ Walnut Oil
- Caramelized onions would be a great addition to this mushroom crostini.
- Creamy appetizer dips make terrific crostini toppings. We love using labneh with dukkah, salmon dip, or smoked trout dip with fresh herbs on top.
- Turn this pea salad into a savory goat cheese crostini! Spread the goat cheese mixture on the bread then top with the triple pea salad.
Why We Love This Recipe
In our family we celebrate Thanksgiving for two days. Well, it’s more of a thanksgiving eve, or more accurately, a pre-party. In recent years it’s been dubbed Drinksgiving. Now hold on a minute before you roll your eyes and move on.
Drinksgiving does involve…well…alcohol — most notably the dangerous cosmos Aunt Dee always thinks are a good idea, we should seriously rethink that — but it also boasts an incredible menu of small bites and appetizers.
There’s usually a beautiful charcuterie board of some sorts, slow-cooked or smoked meat, soul-warming dips, spiced nuts, aka the whole works. And each year, as the holiday nears, it’s always a challenge to decide what to bring to Drinksgiving.
So this year I’m keeping it rustic with a mushroom crostini that’s full of delicious fall flavors from thyme, pecans, and goat cheese. This crostini is a breeze to prepare and most of the components can be made ahead of time, which makes this appetizer perfect for those of us who travel during the holiday season.
Other Appetizers To Try
- Looking for more elegant crostini recipes? Try our whipped ricotta crostini topped with cranberry curd or, for a crostini-esque dish, our smoked salmon platter with blinis. We also love this Fig Compote Bacon and Goat Cheese Crostini recipe from Fork In The Kitchen.
- This smoky peel ‘n eat shrimp appetizer comes together in just 10 minutes while still being packed with flavor.
- You can’t go wrong with rosemary spiced nuts at any holiday event. They are crunchy, salty, savory, sweet and even a little spicy. Another great make ahead app are our marinated olives and cheese.
- Looking for an unique make-ahead appetizer? Your guests will love this easy yet satisfying edamame hummus.
- No holiday get-together is complete without the signature cheese board. Try this winter cheese board for seasonal pairings or make your own with our guide on How to Make the Perfect Cheese Board.
FAQs
The one key difference between bruschetti and crostini is that crostini smaller and thinner. Both are slices of toasted bread, which are usually brushed with olive oil.
We don’t recommend making them ahead of time. Oil, season and toast the day you plan to serve them. Toast the bread slices just until golden brown—don’t go to deep brown or they will be too hard.
Any baguette or small, round crusty bread would make an excellent choice for crostini! Ideally, you want something with structure. Soft, pillowy or enriched breads will be too soft. You can find a French-style baguette at your local grocery.
To avoid allowing the crostini to get soggy, stay away from topping the bread with anything overly juicy. Another idea would be to serve the crostini deconstructed, and let people build their own.
Crostini can be stored up to 4 days. Any longer and you may need to re-toast them a bit. Be sure to store in a resealable plastic bag at room temperature and do not refrigerate.
We haven’t tested this, but it should work. Use regular plain cream cheese.
Mushroom Crostini with Apricot Goat Cheese
Description
Ingredients
- 16 (½-inch-thick) slices crusty multi-grain baguette bread
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided + more for serving
- 1 clove garlic, peeled + 1½ teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, wiped clean, and halved
- 1½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon minced lemon zest
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 4 ounces fresh goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons apricot jam
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ cup toasted and chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Arrange bread slices on baking sheet and brush tops with 2 tablespoons oil. Bake slices until golden and crispy, 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes then rub toasted slices with garlic clove.
- In a large skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring every 2–3 minutes until softened and golden brown, 12 minutes. Add minced garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute. Deglaze pan with sherry, scraping up any brown bits. Remove from heat and stir in zest; season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Combine goat cheese, jam, ½ teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg; season with salt.
- Spread goat cheese mixture on toasted bread slices, top with mushroom mixture, and sprinkle with pecans. Drizzle olive oil over tops, if desired, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe article was originally published on November 16, 2016.
