"Bon Appetit!" Meryl Streep's throaty voice rings through the theatre and each audience member feels as though the immortal Julia Child is speaking directly to him or her. From her exuberant first taste of Sole Meuniere upon arriving in France to the publishing of her ground-breaking book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, we are whisked along on the journey of this marvelous mistral that is Julia Child.
On the opening day of Julie & Julia, I joined a group of Utah food bloggers to watch the story of Julia Child's journey and the parallel, but very different, story of Julie Powell, the blogger who made it her mission to cook all 524 of the recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking in just 365 days. The beauty of watching a movie such as this with a group of people who love cooking and food is that you get a chance to re-hash every bit of the movie afterwards while enjoying a lovely potluck of goodies.
While it was great fun to pick apart the movie and revel in the cooking and love stories from which this movie was woven, I kept coming back to one thought: Thank you, Julia.
This is the recipe I chose to share with my fellow bloggers. While it is not one of Julia's recipes (in fact, it is from the pages of Bon Appetit Magazine), it does include butter and cream. That's a good start, isn't it?
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut one baguette into 18 to 24 ½-inch diagonal slices. Place them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven until the bread slices are barely golden, about 5 minutes.
Clean ½ pound of fresh shiitake mushrooms and 4 ounces of crimini mushrooms. Be sure to remove the stems from the shittakes. That is one big pile of mushrooms and not one of them escaped my greedy grasp.
Chop all of the mushrooms and mince two cloves of garlic.
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic, and cook until the mushrooms are very soft and brown, about 10 minutes.
And now - the clincher. Add ½ cup of whipping cream and cook until the mushrooms absorb all of the cream.
It's not a great picture, but I just had to let you live the dream with me.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add 2 ounces (about ½ cup) of Gorgonzola cheese to the mushroom mixture.. Stir until the cheese is melted.
Chop 2 ½ ounces (about ½ cup) of thinly sliced Prosciutto and stir it into the mushroom mixture. Season with freshly ground black pepper. It's unlikely that you'll need to add salt because the Gorgonzola cheese and prosciutto add their fair share of sodium to the mixture.
If you are finishing the crostini later in the day, spoon the mushroom mixture into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop just before serving.
Divide the mushroom mixture amongst the bread slices. Don't be stingy.
Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the crostini. Serve immediately. I know, I know. You can thank me later.
Mixed Mushroom, Gorgonzola, & Prosciutto Crostini
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut one baguette into 18 to 24 ½-inch diagonal slices. Place them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven until the bread slices are barely golden, about 5 minutes.
Divide the mushroom mixture amongst the bread slices. Don't be stingy.
Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the crostini. Serve immediately.
Sharona May
Looks very good. I love mushrooms so this is going to definately be something I make.
I also saw the movie and really enjoyed it.
Thanks,
Sharona May
Table Talk
We went to see the movie yesterday to escape the 98 degree day we were in the midst of. Really enjoyed it!
Based on our weather here now, my post movie appetizer is sorbet on a spoon.
CaptnRachel aka Tha Pizza Cutta
you never stop cooking canuck! I think these flavors are fantastico and a big punch in a little bite. 😀
Cris Siqueira
hi
thanks for explain me about the flour, i'm from brazil and we used only wheat flour. but i understand what you mean!!
i really like your blog, it's great!!
happy week for you!!
My Little Space
Right! You're having such a wonderful time! And this recipe looks so wonderful and healthy too. Love it!
Kriskishere
Those look delicious! I love anything with lots of mushrooms..and cream..and cheese! 🙂
Ellie
These crostinis looks so delicious! Perfect starters!
Cooking Mama
That looks good! How fun to have a potluck after the movie to discuss. Sounds like a good time!
Janice Soriano
I'm reading the book but I'm going to watch the movie this week. This looks great, I'll make it tonight for dinner. Thanks for the recipe.
HannahBanana aka Amanda
Just bought the Julia biography and can't wait to dive into it. This recipe sounds incredible. I'm hoping if I took out the prosciutto (I'm a veggie girl) it would still be super delish! Perhaps if I added a little something smokey to the mix, I wouldn't miss the prosciutto. Hmmm...maybe a little paprika.
Great recipe!
Kevin
These sound great! You can't go wrong with mushrooms, bacon and blue cheese!
doggybloggy
I need to get a better attitude about the movie - I am a 'julie hater'
TD
I really need to get out and see that movie soon. Just haven't had a chance yet. Those look great!
Cookin' Canuck
Kalyn, Gabi, Maria, and Barbara - it was lovely to meet you, too. I hope we can have another get-together soon.
Mel, thank you. I think a dollop of creme fraiche is a great idea, both for taste and for some contrast in the photo.
Jenn, I will definitely be seeing the movie again, too.
Gabi
These were delicious and it was so great to meet you in person and share a lovely afternoon. I'm looking forward to reading your wonderful blog and seeing you next time at another Hive get-together!Bon Appetit!
xoxo
Kalyn
This was so delicious. I have no doubt that Julia Child would have loved the recipe. (She did love her butter!) It was really fun getting to know you and meeting all the bloggers (and thanks for the link to the post on BlogHer too!)
Mel @ bouchonfor2.com
How yummy looking! Simple and quick too 🙂 Always drool over your photos!
I'd add a dollop of crème fraîche to balance the richness of the mushrooms. Going to make this for friends soon!
Maria
It was such a fun day! I enjoyed meeting you all and sampling everyone's fabulous creations!
Barbara Bakes
I was so happy to see your post this morning. This really is a great recipe. I loved the Prosciutto in it.
Jenn
I loved the movie. I feel like watching it again.
Nice looking crostinis. Perfect appetizers. Yum!!