Bebe's Make-Your-Own Crostini Board

A mushroomy snacking dinner from Bebe Black Carminito's new book The Curated Board

For more quick-and-easy (and delicious!) meals, pre-order a copy of my upcoming book SNACKING DINNERS! As a bonus, I’ll happily send you a free bookplate made out to whomever you like and sign you up for fun prize drawings. (Pre-orders are a huge boost for Amazon rankings and encourage indie bookstores to stock the book.)

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Bebe Carminito and I seem to be on the same wavelength this year. The evening after I accepted Hardie Grant’s offer to publish Snacking Dinners, Bibi told me she had just finished filing the materials for this gorgeous book. I guess we’ve both had snacks on our minds the past couple of years. (We’re planning to have a little online “duel” to compare and enjoy some of the recipes in our books early next year; stay tuned!)

Bebe’s book, born out of her pandemic-era ritual of building a “nibble board” for dinner on Friday nights, is a treasure trove of snacking ideas and delicious recipes. I’m highlighting just one here, but there are 28 total in the book, and they cover all the meals, from breakfast and lunch through snacks, cocktails, dinner, and even dessert. Like my book, hers also includes recipes from other food professionals—including some of my favorite local people like Micah Siva and Anna Voloshyna. As I said, Bebe and I are really on the same wavelength these days!

I particularly liked the idea for sharing her boards this week, before Thanksgiving, because a lot of them (including the one below) would make a perfect start to a holiday gathering. In fact, you could double up the recipes, then set half the food aside to have for dinner later in the week, when you’re sick of turkey leftovers.

Garlicky Shiitake Mushroom Toasts
(from the Make-Your-Own Crostini Board)

Of all the delicious recipes in Bebe’s book, this is the one I’m most drawn to at this time of year, when the evenings are dark and chilly and I want something both fun and comforting to eat at the end of the day. I’ve combined two of the recipes from her Make-Your-Own Crostini Board below, to give you all of the elements for rich, flavorful mushroom toasts. In the book, this board also includes a great recipe for whipped herb ricotta and calls for olive tapenade and some bright, fresh berries. But for a quick dinner, the mushrooms, goat cheese, and burrata do a great job all on their own.

This recipe is designed to serve 4–6 if you add all the elements in the book; I like to make just the elements below and split them with one other person.

For the Crostini
1 baguette
¼ cup (60 ml) plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the Mushrooms
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 ounces (140 g) shiitake mushrooms (cleaned and stems trimmed), sliced and/or whole
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish (optional)

To Serve
Fresh goat cheese and/or burrata
Freshly chopped chives and flat-leaf parsley, plus other fresh herb sprigs

Make the Crostini:

1. Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Cut the baguette into 1/4-inch (6-mm) -thick slices and brush both sides of the bread with the olive oil. Bake until lightly golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer each toast to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve immediately, or store in a well-sealed container for up to 24 hours.

Make the Mushrooms:

1. In a medium nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook, stirring until the mushrooms release their liquid and become golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and garlic salt. Add pepper to taste and the 1 tablespoon chives, stirring gently to blend.

2. Serve warm in a ramekin, sprinkled with chives, if you like.

Serve:

Serve the crostini, mushrooms, and cheeses together, along with a little bowl of extra herbs, if you like, and let everyone build their own little mushroom toasts as they eat.

Photos: Courtesy Cameron + Company, photographer Marie Reginato