Cheesy Mushroom and Leek Crostinis

We started our last day of our anniversary trip to Portland by indulging in a few sticky buns and croissants at the Standard Baking Company. Of course, we also filled up a bag with a few loaves of bread to bring home. The sourdough was excellent!

Then we headed off to Allagash Brewery for a tour and tasting, which was one of the highlights of our trip since Apolinaras has become quite the brewer. He’s made seven beers so far, and I’ve requested his next one be like Allagash White, which is a twist on a Belgian wheat beer with notes of coriander and orange peel. It was so refreshing and perfect to enjoy on a hot summer day.

We started with the tasting and enjoyed some generous samples of Allagash White, Black, Tripel, and Curieux. Then we headed in for the tour and got to see the whole facility. Apolinaras even managed to chat with a few of the brewers. Everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable and we left with a huge box filled with delicious brews!

On our way home to Boston, I realized that we hadn’t had any fried seafood, so I suggested we stop at Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery, for what else, fried clams! We ended up splitting The Lillian platter, which also came with onion rings, fries, and slaw. It definitely hit the spot – the breading on the clams was light and you could really taste the freshness of the seafood. We had such a fabulous time on our anniversary trip and I’m already brainstorming about where we should go next year!

Anyway, I used one of the baguettes we purchased from Standard Baking to make these easy crostinis when we got home. I spread goat and pecorino romano cheese onto the toasted baguette slices and then topped them with leeks, mushrooms, and provolone cheese – so good!

Cheesy Mushroom and Leek Crostinis
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices on a bias (I had 30 slices)
3 tablespoons olive oil
24 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
8 ounces sliced provolone cheese, cut to fit the size of the baguette slices

Directions:
Heat oven to 375˚F. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer onto several large greased cookie sheets. Brush baguette slices with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Bake at 375˚F for 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté mushrooms for 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from pan and place in a large bowl. Remove any extra liquid from the skillet and add remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Add leeks and sauté for 5 minutes or until tender. Return mushrooms to the pan and add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Stir in salt.

Mix goat cheese, milk, and pecorino romano cheese in a small bowl until smooth. Spread goat cheese on toasted baguette slices and top evenly with mushroom mixture. Top each slice with a piece of provolone cheese and return to the 375˚F oven for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 15 servings.

Nutrition: 263 calories, 11.9g fat, 1.1g fiber, 12.7g fiber per serving
Cost: $0.97 per serving