One of the things I love about bruschetta is that it starts out as a nibble and ends up as a meal.  Here's a Fall take on a summer favorite.  I made these the other day, to nibble on, then had a glass of red, then another bruschetta and all of a sudden we were having a scrumptious dinner. I tried two different approaches, to begin with I just rubbed the toasts with garlic. That was lovely but it needed a little extra interest, so I mixed some ricotta cheese with black pepper, a little Parmesan and a dash of balsamic vinegar, spread the ricotta mixture on the toasts then piled up the mushrooms and other goodies on top.  It added an extra dimension I would encourage you to try. Sadly I don't think I managed to get a picture of the ones with ricotta, they barely made it to the plate. I find a multi grain baguette stands up well to the strong flavors but the choice is yours.

For the mushrooms;

1 packet of mushrooms, I love cremini but really any would do.

A couple of tablespoons of olive oil and a tablespoon or so of unsalted butter

Salt and pepper

2 fat cloves of garlic, one minced and one cut in half for rubbing the toasts

A splash of white wine

Lots of fresh parsley

For the cheese spread topping;

4 oz of fresh full fat ricotta cheese

Black pepper

1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese

A drizzle of balsamic vinegar

The final goodies;

A couple of tablespoons of toasted pine nuts

Parmasan shavings

Fresh parsley or arugla

1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Multi grain baguette

In a saute pan heat the olive oil and butter.  Clean and slice the mushrooms and add to the pan. 

Add the minced garlic and saute for a few minutes until the mushrooms render their juices.

Add a splash of wine and turn up the heat, add the chopped parsley, salt and pepper.

Cook to your liking (mine would be pretty much done at this point) and remove from heat.

Meanwhile toast the pine nuts and set aside.

Mix the ricotta cheese with the parmesan, black pepper and balsamic vinegar.

Toast the bread.

Mix together the balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Either spread the ricotta mixture on the toasts or rub with the garlic, top with the mushrooms, pine nuts, parley or arugla and drizzle a teaspoon of the olive oil/balsamic mixture over the top. A sprinkle of sea salt wouln't hurt.

Pour a glass of red and settle in.