Mushroom & Cream Cheese Toast

📝 Ingredients

• 4 slices country bread (about 40 g each)
• 300 g button mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp olive oil + 10 g unsalted butter
• 100 g plain cream cheese (22% fat)
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley (about 10 g)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large frying pan
• Chopping board
• Paring knife
• Wooden spatula
• Toaster

📖 Steps

1. Clean the mushrooms without soaking them, or they'll soak up water and won't brown: trim the earthy end of the stalks and wipe them one by one with damp kitchen paper. Cut into 5 mm slices.
2. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Strip the thyme leaves by running your fingers along the sprigs and finely chop the parsley. Take the cream cheese out of the fridge so it's easier to spread.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. When it's very hot, add the mushrooms in a single layer (in two batches if your pan is small) and don't stir them for 2 minutes, so they start to brown.
4. Keep cooking for 5 to 6 minutes over a high heat, stirring now and then. The mushrooms will release their water first: carry on until it has completely evaporated and they are nicely browned. Only season with salt at this point.
5. Turn the heat down to medium, add the butter, garlic and thyme, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring, just long enough for the garlic to release its aroma without burning, otherwise it turns bitter. Season with pepper, remove from the heat and add half the parsley.
6. While the mushrooms are cooking, toast the slices of country bread in the toaster until golden and crisp on the outside but still soft in the middle.
7. Spread each slice generously with cream cheese right to the edges, top with the hot mushrooms and their juices, scatter with the rest of the parsley, add a grind of pepper and serve immediately.