Mushroom Salad with Brie and Blue Cheese

Ingredients and croutons

1. I never really noticed before how huge the choice of cultivated mushrooms is in big supermarkets. There are oyster mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, shiitake, and many others whose names I don’t even know. And champignons are sold in all sizes and degrees of ripeness, whole or sliced, from bright white to almost black, clean and with bits of substrate left on. Unfortunately, some are clearly fresh and some are not fresh at all. It’s worth buying small, white, firm young mushrooms.

   

   The cheese is sold nearby too. I advise buying a blue cheese with a distinctly sharp taste. Danablu (Danish Blue), Roquefort or similar will work well. They are usually sold by weight or in small packs of 50-100 g. Brie or a similar one (there’s a whole family of them) is a soft, often slightly runny cow’s milk cheese with a white rind of “noble” mold. If you like, you can use other cheeses that aren’t too hard.

   

2. Dry out the croutons. Mushroom cheese salad is best served with dried croutons. Usually a baguette-style loaf is toasted for such appetizers. If you can, make the croutons from wheat bread or bread made from a mix of wheat and rye flour, ideally a yeast-free one made with some kind of sourdough. Slice the bread and dry it without oil in a dry pan over medium heat until crisp, but not browning or burning.

   

Mushrooms and cheese

1. Prepare the mushrooms: sort them, clean off any remaining substrate very thoroughly and wash them. If you can, pat them dry with a paper towel. Small mushrooms don’t need to be cut.

2. Fry the mushrooms until golden. Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a pan, add the mushrooms to the hot oil and fry over a little more than medium heat, stirring often. Don’t cover the pan with a lid. At the very start the champignons will release moisture, it evaporates quickly, and then the mushrooms start to fry. Fry until nicely golden, 5-6 mins, no longer.

   

   Pour the remaining oil into a cup, since it will go into the dressing. The mushrooms should cool to room temperature. If the champignons are large, cut them into pieces after frying.

3. Dice the cheeses and mix with the mushrooms. Put the cooled fried mushrooms into a bowl. Cut the cheeses into cubes the size of the mushrooms or a little smaller. So the pieces don’t fall apart and keep their shape, it’s better to cut them not with a knife but with a cheese wire. It’s a great kitchen tool, and I recommend having one. Add the cheese to the mushrooms, sprinkle with a pinch of dried oregano and add a little salt. Be careful with the salt, it may not be needed at all, since the cheeses already season the dish well.

5. Toast the nuts and mix the salad. In a dry pan over medium heat, toast 2 tbsp of walnut (15 g) kernels, stirring, until fragrant, and crumble them with your fingers. Combine everything in a salad bowl.

   

Serving

1. Put the salad on lettuce leaves. On a serving plate, put a large handful of torn pieces of any green lettuce whose leaves aren’t bitter. It can be lettuce, Chinese cabbage, romaine, oak leaf or ready-to-eat salad mixes. Put the mushroom salad on top.

2. Dress the salad. Mix the remaining oil with 2-3 drops of balsamic vinegar and shake well. Pour over the appetizer right before serving. Don’t toss.

   

3. Add slices of toasted bread to the plate and serve the salad at room temperature.