Creamy mushrooms and chives on brioche

I first saw this recipe in my favorite vegetarian cookbook about 2 years ago.  I’ve been wanting to make it since the moment I saw it.  However, I couldn’t find brioche bread anywhere.

Yes, I know that I could have made the bread my self, but for what looked like such an easy recipe I didn’t want to add that much more time to the process – at least not the first time.

Here in Quito, we may not have an oven in our apartment, but we do live very close to a fabulous bakery.  And, they have brioche!

Quito also has fresh mushrooms – nowhere in Central America did, so I lived without one of my favorite foods for 3 ½ months.

Creamy mushrooms and chives on brioche

When I saw the brioche, I knew that this would be our lunch some day soon.

Today was that day.

I don’t know why I waited so long.  I took my first bite, and immediately asked Jonathan if I could eat his.

Traveling doesn’t really allow me to carry cookbooks around.  So, I adapted the recipe from SmittenKitchen (one of my absolute favorite food blogs).

Now, I wasn’t able to find crimini mushrooms, nor shallots.  So, I used regular white button mushrooms, white onion, and garlic.  We also didn’t have any wine in the apartment, but we did have vodka.  So, I used that instead.  My adjusted recipe follows:

Creamy mushrooms on brioche bread

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, more for toast

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

3 cloves minced garlic

2 tablespoons vodka

1/2 cup milk

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

brioche rolls

1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon paprika (sweet)

• Clean excess dirt from mushrooms. Slice mushrooms in half lengthwise and brush away any grit; chop into 1/4-inch pieces.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until very limp, about three minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic, cook, stirring, for about five minutes. Add vodka, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for about five minutes more.
• Uncover pot and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about two minutes. Stir in milk; simmer until slightly thickened. Season with salt, pepper, thyme, and paprika to taste

Creamy mushrooms and chives on brioche