Not Baking

I haven't been posting, but I have been baking. Most recently I discovered the joy of Deb El Just Whites, and I've been making meringues like they've been going out of fashion. No separating! No egg yolks to use up! It's awesome.

Tonight, however, the egg whites are at home, and I am at college, so there are no meringues. There is, however, a very simple, delicious meal. Mushrooms, sautéed in butter, with sourdough toast and cheese. It's killer. If I had a camera, I'd take a picture and make you all drool.

Best of all, it is really ridiculously simple:

Take some mushrooms. I had button mushrooms, and since there was only one of me and I wanted a light meal, I sliced up three of them. I probably could have done four and it wouldn't have been too much.

If you, like me, have no toaster, go ahead and put a pan on the stove and throw a slice or two of bread in to toast while you clean and slice your mushrooms. Finish slicing and check the bread. If it's warm, throw a little butter in the pan and rub the slices around in the butter a bit on both sides. (You may add more butter during this operation. That is perfectly acceptable, and I won't tell if you don't.) Let the bread brown up a little bit on each side as it takes in the butter. Once it's done, put it to the side.

If you do have a toaster, ignore all that. Except please don't, because bread that's been cooked in butter like that is delicious. But if you must use a toaster, go ahead and feel virtuous for taking in that much less butter.

Ok, now that you've got your pan hot, throw in some more butter. Look at it. Throw in a little more. Don't be shy. Let it melt down and bubble a little--not enough to brown, just to get hot.

Throw in your mushrooms. Try to give them space. If you are me, with one tiny frying pan, you will fail. The Julia Child in your head will scold you for crowding the mushrooms. It's ok. Put a little more butter in, because some of those mushrooms still look lonely. Once that butter melts and you've stirred the mushrooms around in it, salt them well and leave them to sit and reduce.

Eat one of your slices of toast. It's ok, you're only going to have enough mushrooms for one anyway.

Once the mushrooms are reduced as much as you like (I like mine cooked until they're brown and a little crispy around the edges, but still meaty in the middle), pour them and any remaining butter and juices over the piece of toast you didn't eat. Perhaps grind a little pepper over the mushrooms. Slice off some cheese to eat on the side. I chose a local creamery's asiago.

Take a bite. Swear to keep mushrooms in the house all the time from now on.