Crescenza with Sautéed Mushrooms

Sautéed mushrooms

Bellwether Farms Crescenza is a young cheese made of milk from Jersey cows that graze near the Callahan’s ranch in Two Rock, west of Petaluma. It is buttery, mildly tart, and shaped in a traditional Italian square form. Because it is such a young cheese, it does not have a long shelf-life. I developed this recipe specifically for crescenza, though you can serve these sautéed mushrooms with other creamy cheeses, such as teleme, ripe camembert, or brie. There are seasonal variations following the main recipe.

  • Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

  • 1 pound crescenza, cut into equal squares
  • 2 tablespoons browned butter (see Note below)
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, such as Trumpet Royale, Blue Oyster, golden chanterelle, or black chanterelle, cleaned and broken into medium pieces
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper in a mill
  • 2 tablespoons shelled hazelnuts, toasted and peeled
  • 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
  • 12 to 16 baguette slices, toasted

Directions

  1. Set a square of crescenza on 4 to 6 individual plates and set them aside. Heat the browned butter in a medium sauté pan set over medium heat, add the mushrooms and the wine, cover the pan, and simmer until the mushrooms are wilted, about 5 minutes.

  2. Uncover, simmer until the liquid is reduced and the mushrooms are completely cooked, about 7 to 8 minutes, or longer, depending on the variety.

  3. Season with salt and pepper and spoon over the cheese. Scatter some of the hazelnuts and some of the chives over each serving, garnish with the baguette slices, and serve immediately.

Variations:

Spring: Prepare roasted asparagus and when it is cooked, cut each stalk in half lengthwise and crosswise. While the asparagus cooks, sauté 1 minced shallot and 1 minced garlic clove in a little olive oil until they are tender, add 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar and 2 teaspoons minced chives, and season with salt and pepper. When the mixture is hot, add 4 tablespoons olive oil and remove from the heat. Taste, correct the seasoning, toss with the asparagus, spoon over the cheese, garnish with baguette slices, and serve immediately.

Summer: Make the cherry tomato vinaigrette <>, spoon it over the cheese, add some shredded fresh basil, garnish with baguette slices, and serve immediately.

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