Wild Black Trumpet Mushroom and Goat Cheese Toasts

Finding wild mushrooms in a forest or even at the market always fills me with fascination. These mushrooms (craterellus cornucopioides) are found under tan oaks in California and hidden among the huckleberries. Also know as Black Chanterelles, Horns of Plenty, and Trumpets of Death, decaying leaves and dirt camouflages these amazing edibles. The eye takes a bit of time to adjust to their indigenous disguise. But once you do, you begin to see them everywhere. The woodsy flavor goes perfectly with the earthy goat cheese. Brighten the earth tones with a bit of lemon zest and a kick of chive and you have a serious hit both in popularity and in pleasure.

No mushroom is more prone to having gritty bits in the final cooked dish so cleaning a black trumpet properly is very important. Split this hollow vase-shaped mushroom open.Use a brush to wipe away the grit, then rinse the split mushroom under water while rubbing both inside and outside surfaces. Lay on a towel or line a salad spinner with a towel, put the clean wet mushrooms inside and spin dry.

In a frying pan, add shallots and saute.

chop chives and leave on the side for now.

When shallots are translucent, add the mushrooms and let them cook down until they loose most of the extra moisture. Salt it to taste.

Toast some sliced baguettes...

Mix together the zest and the chives.

Construct a toast by putting a layer of fresh goat cheese first. Add the mushroom mixture then top with chives and zest. Add a little olive oil to the top. You have a very tasty snack!