Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
This mushroom and garlic crostini with Boursin cheese has the salty, crumbly, and creamy texture of Boursin, topped with earthy mushrooms, which perfectly pairs with the sharp yet sweet roasted garlic and fresh herbs - all of which sit atop crispy baguette slices, giving the crostini the satisfying crunch of oven-toasted bread... I mean...what are you waiting for?? Pick it up and eat it already!
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Why You'll Love It
- Simple ingredients - aside from the fresh herbs you'll use to garnish at the end, you don't need to pull out any extra spices. The creamy boursin is perfectly packed with all the herbs this recipe needs. Plus, there are no onions and no cream cheese, which most other recipes call for.
- Easy appetizer to prepare - All the elements can be made in advance, so assembly goes fast, meaning it can be made just before guests arrive.
- It can be an appetizer or served with the side dishes at the table.
Mushroom and garlic crostini with Boursin is Good for a Group because...
It's an easy finger food, which can easily be eaten cleanly and politely in two bites, and it can easily be eaten either sitting or standing.
It's also an excellent appetizer because it's easy to alter if you have mushroom haters in the group. You can make the base of the crostini with the roasted garlic and cheese - then use the mushrooms as intended, or leave them off and top the crostini with other seasonal veggies.
It's also a perfect appetizer for you as a host to prepare because it can be served either warm or at room temperature, which gives you as the host more flexibility when guests are arriving.
Ingredients
- French baguette, thinly sliced and brushed with olive oil or melted butter. Alternatively, you can buy premade crostini from most bakeries and many large grocery stores in their bakery department.
- Roasted garlic - this recipe assumes that you have already roasted your garlic!! So, the cooking time for roasting the garlic is NOT included in the total time for this recipe.
- Pick your choice of Boursin cheese. I like the classic Garlic and Herbs flavor, although they also have a black pepper flavor and truffle-flavored versions.
- For the mushroom mixture, you can use pretty much anything. Button mushrooms, portabella, baby bellas, wild mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, you name it. Plus, you can and should use both the mushroom caps and stem. Just chop down any larger mushrooms so things are uniform in size.
Instructions
To make the mushroom and garlic crostini with Boursin, in short:
Satuee the mushrooms.
Make the crostini in the oven.
Assemble the crostini by spreading the roasted garlic on each slice of toasted bread, adding a schmear of Boursin, then gently press a teaspoon or so of sauteed mushrooms into the cheese.
Top with fresh herbs and serve.
Hint: You can chop the mushrooms ahead of time. Even if they brown, you'll be cooking them, so it won't show.
Additions / Substitutions / Variations
If you know how to make the recipe fit a diet, let the reader know here. Don't fake it - only provide guidance on topics you have actual experience with.
- Additions - You could add in some fresh lemon zest or a quick spritz of lemon juice in between the garlic and Boursin layers. It will bring a fresher flavor to it, but it's not my favorite pick. You can also add black truffle sea salt. But use it sparingly because the truffle flavor can be STRONG. You can sauté shallots in the same pan as the mushrooms to add in another layer of flavor.
- Substitutions - If you don't have roasted garlic don't worry! Instead cut a clove of garlic in half and rub each slice of baguette with it before you toast them. This will give it some garlicky flavor.
- Variations - Amazingly, Boursin has a plant-based vegan cheese. So, if you use their vegan cheese and use olive oil instead of butter, you can serve a truly vegan version. I've found that Trader Joes's consistently carries the vegan Boursin cheese. You can also chop some sundried tomatoes instead of mushrooms and crisp them in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. While you'll no longer have a mushroom crostini, you will have a delicious sun-dried tomato crostini that the mushroom haters in your life will enjoy.
Advance Preparation / Storage / Reheating
- Advance Preparation - Make the roasted garlic ahead of time. Likewise, you can sautee the mushrooms the day before and warm them up just before assembling.
- Storage - Once assembled, they can't be stored well. However, you can make each element ahead of time and store them separately, which is what I recommend.
Equipment
Baking sheets for the crostini, a large non-stick pan to sautee the mushrooms, and a beautiful serving platter for presentation.
Top tip
Don't use dried herbs (I'm looking at your dried parsley) to garnish the crostini. I've found it detracts from the earthy mushroom flavor.
FAQ's
In short, crostini means "little toasts." Crostini is typically a thin slice of a baguette, toasted and topped with a variety of toppings.
Bruschetta generally refers to a thick slice of sourdough, which is grilled and then spread with garlic before being topped with a fresh tomato and basil mixture.
Fresh, herby, a little tangy, but mostly salty, it is a herbed cheese made with heavy cream. Texture wise it's similar to ricotta and is very spreadable cheese. What I love most about it is that it is so flavorful.
It originated in Normandy France in 1957 and was created and developed by François Boursin
If you end up with leftover cheese, you can use it in an omelet, spread over crackers, or rolled up in cold cuts. But really, who has leftover Boursin cheese?!
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📖 Recipe
mushroom and garlic crostini with Boursin cheese
Equipment
- Baking sheets
- Silicone brush
- Large non-stick pan
Ingredients
- 1 French baguette
- ½ cup Butter or ghee, divided
- 1 pound mushrooms (portabella ones are nice) sliced and roughly chopped
- 1 8 oz package of Bousin cheese - fresh herbs or chives
- 1 head of roasted garlic about ⅓ cup
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Crostini - heat the oven to 400. While the oven is heating, thinly slice the baguette into ½ inch slices. In a small bowl, gently melt butter. Using a silicone brush or a small spoon, gently brush each slice of bread with the melted butter. Arrange the slices in a single layer across two baking sheets. Cook for 10 minutes or until the baguette slices are starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Mushrooms - clean the mushrooms by gently rinsing them in cool water or in a salad spinner to remove any traces of dirt. See note. Thinly slice them, then chop the slices down a bit more. Heat a large non-stick pan to medium heat and add the clean mushrooms plus 1 Tablespoon butter and ¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper. Stir frequently for 8-12 minutes, or until the mushrooms have browned significantly. Remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly.
- Assemble - place the sauteed mushrooms, roasted garlic, Boursin cheese, and crostini in your workspace. On each slice of bread spread a small amount of roasted garlic, about 1 teaspoon schmear of Boursin cheese, and top with 1 teaspoon cooked mushrooms. Repeat for all the slices. (See note)
- Top with fresh herbs and serve.
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