11564 Goat Cheese Toasts with Asparagus-Mushroom Ragu 35 mins 35 mins 25 toasts Wed Mar 19 18:09:00 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 25 13:01:50 -0700 2009 Easy Cal-Med CHOW http://www.chow.com/recipes/11564 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:01:50 GMT Creamy and crunchy Creamy asparagus-and-mushroom ragu tops crunchy toasts slathered with goat cheese. These creamy bites taste of spring and take as little time to put together as they will to disappear. Omit the toasts, and the ragu makes for a quick weeknight dinner when tossed with pasta.

What to buy: We used slightly sour pain au levain to bring out the tanginess of the goat cheese, but a sour baguette will do in a pinch.

Game plan: You can bake the toasts and make the ragu up to 1 day in advance so that you just need to spread the cheese and ragu on the toasts when you’re ready to serve. To reheat the ragu, cover and warm it in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through.

This recipe was featured as part of our Resurrecting Easter Brunch menu.

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  • Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Brush bread slices with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Spread about 1 teaspoon goat cheese on each toast; set aside.
  • Heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add mushrooms, asparagus, and shallot and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus and shallot are tender and mixture starts to let off liquid, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 4 minutes.
  • Stir in tarragon and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Spoon about 1 tablespoon ragu over each goat cheese toast and serve.

    • Beverage pairing: Hippolyte Reverdy Sancerre, France. Goat cheese and Sauvignon Blanc. Nothing more needs to be said, except that this Sauvignon Blanc from the town of Sancerre is a smashing example of the form. It has bright apple and lemon zippiness to it, but also a lovely, complex unfolding in the mouth that allows the goat cheese to make its impression before being swept away by a rush of juicy freshness.

    ]]>     http://www.chow.com/assets/2008/03/goatcheesetoast290.jpg Kate Ramos 53 Starter 25 (1/4-inch-thick, 1-1/2-by-3-inch-long) slices pain au levain, from about 1/2-pound loaf

    ]]>     4 tablespoons olive oil

    ]]>     1/2 cup chèvre (fresh goat cheese; about 4 ounces)

    ]]>     30 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed, and thinly sliced (about 3 1/2 cups)

    ]]>     95 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed and thinly sliced on the bias (about 3 cups)

    ]]>     94 1 medium shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

    ]]>     2/3 cup heavy cream

    ]]>     225 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, coarsely chopped

    ]]>     5931 kate ramos 1 chow 5028 easter 14604 moo 7279 no brainer 8548 no fuss 7346 north american 466 onions 273 party 277 brunch 15811 easter brunch 272 asparagus 867 appetizer 414 date 501 entertaining 4103 chèvre 364 goat cheese 796 spring