Starters and nibbles — dried morels

Croûtes with Morels

Name: Croûtes with Morels
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Swiss
Ingredients: 6 slices thick stale white bread; 50 g dried morels; 1 lemon; 2 shallots; 150 g butter; 300 ml crème fraîche; parsley; salt and pepper

Slices of bread browned in butter, hollowed out and filled with a creamy lemon morel filling. A warm appetiser to serve piping hot.

Serves: 6 servings
Preparation: 30 min
Cooking: 20 min

Method

Soak the morels until they have doubled in volume.
Hollow out the centre of each slice of bread slightly to hold the filling.
Rinse, drain, then halve the mushrooms lengthways and pat them dry.
In a large frying pan, melt 50 g of butter. Add the mushrooms, finely sliced shallots and the lemon juice, then sear over a high heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
Adjust the seasoning, lower the heat, pour over the cream and continue to cook at a gentle simmer for 15 minutes.
Brown the bread slices in the remaining hot butter, then keep them warm on a plate.
Fill the hollow of each crust with the creamy morels, sprinkle with parsley and serve piping hot.