Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Toasts

The other night we went to Abigail's with our friends Adam and Renee, there we had an appetizer with mushrooms and truffles. I was inspired by this.

I had recently read on SeriousEats.com about a new method to caramelize onions, using two slight changes. One is to caramelize a small amount of sugar, this jumps starts the process, the other is to add baking soda (a base) which changes the pH and allows you to cook hotter and breaks the onions down quicker. The end result was surely tasty and likely took a bit less time, was somewhat mushy. So for an application like this dish, it works great, but for something where you wanted pieces of onion, it would not work.

Mushroom with Goat Cheese Caramelized Onion Toasts
half a large onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
1/8 baking soda
pinch salt to taste
oil and/or butter

1 - 2 cloves garlic, sliced
a couple cups thick sliced mushrooms
2 - 3 ounces goat cheese
3 - 6 slices bread
small bunch arugula
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste

To make the onions, start by heating a stainless pan over medium heat, add the sugar and cook until melted and slightly golden.





Add the onions, and turn to coat. Then add the baking soda and salt, and butter and/or oil. Cook over medium heat turning occasionally. If the onions stick add a touch of water and incorporate any of the browned pieces.



Cook until the onions are broken down and have a nice caramel color. Cool completely before adding to the cheese.



To prepare the mushroom, add a touch of oil to a pan and add the garlic and a touch of salt. Cook for a minute to soften then add the mushrooms. Cook over medium heat, until cooked though and soft.



Mix the cheese with the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Toast the bread, then spread with the cheese.



To finish, top with the mushrooms, then with the arugula. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.