Anyone like to help me develop my appetizer idea?

[The Little Penguin]

I'm trying to come up with something that will make a nice appetizer for pasta dishes- I always see to do bread with a dipping oil and I want a change. So, I came up with this idea... Finely cut portobello mushrooms and capers on toasted bread.

I've never tried to make a "topping on top of little pieces of toasted bread" appetizer, and I'm trying to think of the best way to do it. Saute the mushrooms and capers seperatly in olive oil, then spread them on toasted bread? Toast the whole affair as one?

Does this even sound good to you? How would you go about making portobello-caper toast appetizers?

[keltin]

Originally Posted by The Little Penguin

I'm trying to come up with something that will make a nice appetizer for pasta dishes- I always see to do bread with a dipping oil and I want a change. So, I came up with this idea... Finely cut portabello mushrooms and capers on toasted bread.

I've never tried to make a "topping on top of little pieces of toasted bread" appetizer, and I'm trying to think of the best way to do it. Saute the mushrooms and capers seperatly in olive oil, then spread them on toasted bread? Toast the whole affair as one?

Does this even sound good to you? How would you go about making portabello-caper toast appetizers?

How about you prep your mixture, then roll it up in puff pastry and then bake it (or even fry it). Little stuffed bread pockets of goodness! Serve with a dipping sauce.

[ella/TO]

I saw Ina Garten today and she made bruchetta....she spread some olive oil on sliced french bread, then toasted the bread in the oven. She sliced some red and yellow peppers into strips, then sauted them, along with some drained capers in some olive oil....she added a bit of sugar which helped to carmelize the peppers. She then spooned the pepper/caper mixture onto the toasted bread slices and added some crumbled gorganzola cheese (I would also use some plain goat cheese, in case some guests didn't go for the gorganzola).
She then put the bread into the oven until the cheese softened.
It looked deelish, and I'm certain it was!.....enjoy

[Jeekinz]

You could blend your ingredients in a food processor to make a spread, then you can add other herbs and such.

[The Little Penguin]

Originally Posted by ella/TO

I saw Ina Garten today and she made bruchetta....she spread some olive oil on sliced french bread, then toasted the bread in the oven. She sliced some red and yellow peppers into strips, then sauted them, along with some drained capers in some olive oil....she added a bit of sugar which helped to carmelize the peppers. She then spooned the pepper/caper mixture onto the toasted bread slices and added some crumbled gorganzola cheese (I would also use some plain goat cheese, in case some guests didn't go for the gorganzola).
She then put the bread into the oven until the cheese softened.
It looked deelish, and I'm certain it was!.....enjoy

I like that idea a lot.

Hmm, maybe something like that, but making it peppers, capers, and mushrooms.

...maybe marinating the portobellos in dry vermouth a bit too?

[The Little Penguin]

Originally Posted by Jeekinz

You could blend your ingredients in a food processor to make a spread, then you can add other herbs and such.

I like that too! Maybe this: marinade the mushrooms in the vermouth, then saute everything, then throw in the processor with some fresh herbs, then spread on the olive-oil-ed toasted bread.

Thanks everyone, this is coming together!

[kitchenelf]

From what I understand if you saute capers in a hot pan they puff up, which should be interesting. I would saute them then I would saute your chopped, slivered, mushrooms in a butter/wine/olive oil, salt, pepper (and maybe even some sage and pecorino thrown in) mixture then serve atop grilled bread. Yes, your capers and mushroom combo sounds great!

You could also do grilled bread spread with goat cheese, then a few slivers of proscuitto, then a couple asparagus spears (properly blanched, of course, or even grilled) diced or not diced. Dicing might make eating easier but as long as they are the skinny asparagus and not "woody" on the outside you should be fine. You can drizzle these with a mixture of red wine vinegar/olive oil/Dijon mustard/minced chives.

You could also do cherry tomatoes (scooped out) stuffed with a mixture of goat cheese, garlic, and chives or rosemary, or rosemary/lemon, (the imagination can take over here).

A flavor combination that really whets my appetite is goat cheese, pesto, and roasted red peppers. Grilled bread topped with these things (in that order) is awesome!

EDITED TO ADD: It was the salted ones that were soaked in water for about 10 minutes, drained and dried. I don't know if the vinegar-soaked ones will do the same thing.

[ironchef]

Instead of marinating the mushrooms in the vermouth, use the alcohol to deglaze the pan and reduce. You'll get a better texture and overall flavor from the mushroom that way.

And instead of using portabella, I would use cremini instead, especially if you're going to throw it in the food processor. The point of using portobella is because of it's meaty texture and size. It's pointess to grind it up. That's like using Alaskan king crab for crab cakes.

[The Little Penguin]

Originally Posted by ironchef

Instead of marinating the mushrooms in the vermouth, use the alcohol to deglaze the pan and reduce. You'll get a better texture and overall flavor from the mushroom that way.

Excellent, thanks!

[Jeekinz]

One or two whole capers on top would give a nice look to it as well. Let us know how you make out. Sounds yummy.

[auntdot]

I would probably add some gound up olives. But then again, I would probably add olives to corn flakes.

[jpmcgrew]

Saute sliced mushrooms,a little chopped onion, garlic and a little of your favorite herb, S&P and finish off with some dry sherry wine or a little balsamic vinegar.Let cool put on toasts then put some fresh mozzarella or feta cheese run under broiler till cheese is melted if you want capers sprinkle a few capers around plate and top toasts with some fresh parsley.

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Originally Posted by ironchef

Instead of marinating the mushrooms in the vermouth, use the alcohol to deglaze the pan and reduce. You'll get a better texture and overall flavor from the mushroom that way...

IC is dead on as usual. My addition would be to add a bit of truffle oil to the mixture and serve together with another appetizer made from freshly steamed artichoke hearts with thinly sliced medium rare roast beef on little squares bread. Again, drizzle the bread squares with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and toast to golden brown. Rubbed with fresh garlic and top with the artichoke heart aned beef. Pairing these together with the mushroom appetizers would allow guests to sample the artichoke heart appetizers. Artichokes have the unique ability to amplify other flavors that you eat, especially the sweet compounds that are often hidden in foods.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North