Author Notes: When the morels arrive, I know that spring has arrived as well. Although I choke when I see the price, morels are worth every penny. Here, they are simply sautéed in butter with leeks and parsley and a bit of lemon juice. You can use this delicious concoction many ways—inside an omelet, over pasta, or as a side to beef. Here, it is served on a toasted French bread. It is best shared among friends over a glass of wine. —Waverly
Food52 Review: When we announced the mushroom contest, we were hoping someone would submit a recipe that really embraced the rich, loamy quality of morels—rather than dousing them in cream or mixing them with other types of mushrooms. Waverly makes the most of these often exorbitantly expensive spring treasures by sautéing them in butter with lemon juice, leeks, and herbs and then topping homemade crostini with the morels and some soft goat cheese. This is simple, fresh cooking at its best. —A&M —The Editors
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
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1
fresh baguette, sliced thin
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1
splash extra-virgin olive oil
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3
tablespoons butter
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6
ounces fresh morels, cleaned and sliced lengthwise
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2
teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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3/4
cup thinly sliced leeks, white and pale green parts only
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1
teaspoon fresh lemon juice
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2
tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley
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1
package of goat cheese, to taste
Directions
- MAKE THE TOAST: Preheat oven to 350° F. Place sliced bread on a baking sheet. Brush each piece with olive oil. Bake until bread is lightly toasted, 10 to 15 minutes. Arrange toast on a serving tray.
- SAUTÉ THE MORELS: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add morels and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Add thyme and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until morels are tender, about 3 minutes.
- SEASON: Add leeks to mushrooms and sauté until soft, 3 to 4 minutes more. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- ASSEMBLE AND SERVE: Pour mixture into a serving bowl and then place the bowl on top of the serving tray with the toast. Place goat cheese on the tray. Let everyone assemble their own crostini: Smear a bit of goat cheese on toast, then top with a spoonful of morels.
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Photo by Ty Mecham
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A simple but smart ingredient list: leeks, thyme, parsley, morels, fresh goat cheese, lemon.
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Harbingers of spring: a heap of precious morels (they're not as easy to find as cultivated varieties like creminis and shiitakes — we got ours at Eataly but check your local farmers market…
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This came from Eataly too — a stately ring of pane pugliese. We oohed and ahhed, then pretended to wear it as a hat.
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It's a good idea to check for critters lurking in the crevices of morels. We determined a high likelihood of critter inhabitation, so we gave them a chance to swim out. Not drown, swim.
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Prep time. Merrill cuts that pane pugliese into crostini and Amanda slices leeks (but doesn't wash them first — you'll see why in a minute).
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We went for about a 1/2" crostino to stand up to a healthy amount of goat cheese and morels.
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We sliced our morels in half and no further, to make the most of their cool waffle-y texture. And look, no critters!
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Pat them dry well. No one likes a soggy morel.
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Is there any sight more beautifiul?
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Merrill gleefully tips the well-dried morels into their buttery bath.
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The morels will get crisp and brown, then fresh thyme joins the party.
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Here's our favorite leek-washing technique: slice first, then load into a colander and swish them around in a big bowl of water to get the grit off. Then just lift out the colander!
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Nice and clean.
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Leeks, chopped parsley, and lemon juice are added in for the last couple minutes to perk the whole thing up.
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Pretty, right?
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Not surprisingly, we love a thick bed of goat cheese.
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Goat cheese and mushroomy goodness: they play together so nicely.
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