Valentine's Day: Shemeji Mushrooms-on-Toast with Cream and Pepper

Delicate mushrooms, with a delicate taste, need nothing more, I think, than butter, a dab of cream and some salt and pepper. You could add a little finely chopped rosemary, or some garlic, but I think they're best tasting just of the forest floor.

These lovely little mushrooms, the packet tells me, are a product of China; I bought them from Woolworths.

For a Valentine's Day breakfast, serve these on heart-shaped croutons. I think a level of neatness is required here. Cut out a heart-shaped cardboard template, place it on a piece of bread, and cut round it with the tip of a sharp knife. Don't worry about raggy bits. When you've fried the crouton, and it has cooled slightly, neaten off the edges with a microplane, or by rasping and shaping it gently on the fine tooth of a cheesegrater.

The sweet little heart-shaped leaves in the picture are mustard-seed sprouts from my garden. A showering of chopped fresh parsley would do very nicely too.

Shemeji Mushrooms-on-Toast with Cream and Pepper
2 slices of white bread
vegetable oil for frying
150 g shemeji mushrooms, or similar small mushrooms
2 Tbsp (30 ml) butter
salt
black pepper
4 T (60 ml) cream
a little chopped fresh parsley

First make the croutons. Cut out two heart shapes, as described above. Heat the oil, to a depth of about 2 mm, in a frying pan and fry the croutons gently on both sides. Watch them like a hawk and remember that they continue to brown after you've taken them out of the pan, so remove them when they are a light golden colour. Drain well on kitchen paper.

In a new saucepan, heat the butter.  Toss the mushrooms over a medium heat for a few minutes: they cook very quickly. Pour in the cream, allow to bubble furiously for 30 seconds, then turn down the heat and simmer for another minute. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper.

Pile the creamy mushrooms on the croutons and dust with some chopped fresh parsley.

Serves 2

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