Mushroom and kashkaval toasties with rocket salad

Name: Mushroom and kashkaval toasties with rocket salad
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Israeli and Mediterranean
Ingredients: 240 g Sliced white sandwich bread (8 × 30 g slices, for 4 toasties); 20 g Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block) (softened, for the outside of the toasties; take out 15 minutes ahead); 400 g Brown mushrooms (portobello or chestnut mushrooms) (2 × 250 g punnets of chestnut mushrooms, or button mushrooms if unavailable; use the remaining 100 g in an omelette the next day); 140 g Kashkaval cheese (250 g piece) (to grate: 100 g inside and 40 g on top); 60 g Thick sour cream, 27% fat (200 g pot) (4 level tbsp); 80 g Yellow onions (1 small onion); 5 g Garlic (1 clove); 1 g Dried thyme (1 level tsp); 0.2 g Whole nutmeg (1 pinch, grated); 10 g Flat-leaf parsley (a few sprigs, chopped: 5 g for the filling, 5 g for the salad); 40 g Extra virgin olive oil (20 g (2 tbsp) for the mushrooms, 20 g (2 tbsp) for the salad); 15 g Hot Dijon-style mustard (10 g (2 tsp) for the toasties, 5 g (1 tsp) for the salad); 100 g Rocket (1 bag, washed and ready to use); 150 g Cucumbers (1–2 small cucumbers); 7 g Cider vinegar (½ tbsp); 3 g Fine salt (2 g (2 pinches) for the mushrooms, 1 g (1 pinch) for the salad); 0.5 g Ground black pepper (2 pinches)

dairy main dish · Israeli and Mediterranean · 2/5 · easy · 42 min, including 30 hands-on

Inspired by the kashkaval tost of Israeli cafés: four buttered, oven-browned toasties filled with well-seared mushrooms, cream, thyme and nutmeg, with a golden kashkaval topping. Served with peppery rocket and crisp cucumber salad.

Ingredients for two

240 g	Sliced white sandwich bread 8 × 30 g slices, for 4 toasties
20 g	Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block) softened, for the outside of the toasties; take out 15 minutes ahead
400 g	Brown mushrooms (portobello or chestnut mushrooms) 2 × 250 g punnets of chestnut mushrooms, or button mushrooms if unavailable; use the remaining 100 g in an omelette the next day
140 g	Kashkaval cheese (250 g piece) to grate: 100 g inside and 40 g on top
60 g	Thick sour cream, 27% fat (200 g pot) 4 level tbsp
80 g	Yellow onions 1 small onion
5 g	Garlic 1 clove
1 g	Dried thyme 1 level tsp
0.2 g	Whole nutmeg 1 pinch, grated
10 g	Flat-leaf parsley a few sprigs, chopped: 5 g for the filling, 5 g for the salad
40 g	Extra virgin olive oil 20 g (2 tbsp) for the mushrooms, 20 g (2 tbsp) for the salad
15 g	Hot Dijon-style mustard 10 g (2 tsp) for the toasties, 5 g (1 tsp) for the salad
100 g	Rocket 1 bag, washed and ready to use
150 g	Cucumbers 1–2 small cucumbers
7 g	Cider vinegar ½ tbsp
3 g	Fine salt 2 g (2 pinches) for the mushrooms, 1 g (1 pinch) for the salad
0.5 g	Ground black pepper 2 pinches

Method

Preheat the fan oven to 200°C with the baking tray inside. While it heats, wipe the mushrooms, trim the earthy ends of the stalks and cut into 5 mm slices. Leave the remaining chopping for now; you can do it while the mushrooms cook.
Heat 20 g oil in a 28 cm frying pan over a medium-high heat until shimmering. Add only the mushrooms: the pan will be full, but they will reduce by half. Leave untouched for 3 minutes, then sauté for 7–8 minutes. Their water should come out and evaporate, leaving golden-brown slices sizzling in the pan. Meanwhile, stirring the mushrooms occasionally, finely chop the onion, peel and crush the garlic, chop the 10 g parsley, coarsely grate the kashkaval, setting aside 40 g for the topping, and cut the cucumber into thin half-moons. Keep the salad refrigerated.
Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until translucent. Add the garlic, thyme, 2 g salt and pepper, stir for 30 seconds and taste. Pour in the cream and bubble for 1 minute, stirring, until it coats the mushrooms with no liquid left in the pan. Off the heat, add the nutmeg and 5 g chopped parsley.
Thinly butter one side of every slice of bread, using 20 g in total. Place 4 slices buttered-side down on a sheet of baking paper, spread the other sides with the 10 g mustard, then divide the mushrooms and 100 g cheese between them. Top with the remaining 4 slices, buttered-side up, press lightly with your palm and scatter over the remaining 40 g cheese.
Remove the hot tray with oven gloves, slide the paper onto it and bake on the middle shelf for 10 minutes. Switch to the grill, move the tray up one shelf and cook for 2–3 minutes, watching closely: the cheese should bubble and develop brown patches, and the undersides should be golden and crisp when you lift a toastie with a spatula. During cooking, whisk the vinegar and 1 g salt in the salad bowl until the salt dissolves. Add 5 g mustard, then slowly whisk in the 20 g oil; the dressing should thicken slightly.
Rest the toasties for 1 minute after taking them out of the oven to let the cheese set slightly. Toss the rocket, cucumber and remaining parsley with the dressing at the last moment. Serve two toasties per person, cut diagonally, with half the salad.

Variants and their steps remain below the recipe.

Lighter version

How the taste changes:

The filling is less creamy and less stretchy, allowing the browned mushrooms and thyme to stand out more. The top still browns, but the dish has less buttery aroma overall; the extra cucumber provides a fresher contrast.

Kashkaval cheese (250 g piece) : 100 g
Thick sour cream, 27% fat (200 g pot) : 30 g
Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block) : 10 g
Cucumbers : 250 g

At step 2, reserve 25 g grated cheese for the topping; put the remaining 75 g inside at step 4.

At step 4, butter only the outside of the 4 bottom slices, using 10 g butter; the cheese browns the top slices.

A little less cheese, cream and butter and more cucumber, while the toasties remain golden and melting.

On your plate

Recipe

1032 kcal · protein 36 g · carbs 77 g · fat 63 g

Quantities per person

120 g Sliced white sandwich bread
10 g Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block)
200 g Brown mushrooms (portobello or chestnut mushrooms)
70 g Kashkaval cheese (250 g piece)
30 g Thick sour cream, 27% fat (200 g pot)
40 g Yellow onions
2.5 g Garlic
0.5 g Dried thyme
0.1 g Whole nutmeg
5 g Flat-leaf parsley
20 g Extra virgin olive oil
7.5 g Hot Dijon-style mustard
50 g Rocket
75 g Cucumbers
3.5 g Cider vinegar
1.5 g Fine salt
0.25 g Ground black pepper

Cooking tips

The mushrooms provide all the flavour: use a medium-high heat, leave untouched for the first 3 minutes and salt only once browned, otherwise they release water and boil. A dry filling will not make the bread soggy. Make the filling the day before; it keeps for 2 days in the refrigerator, leaving only assembly and baking. A squeeze of lemon juice added to the mushrooms off the heat lifts the whole dish.

Equipment : 28 cm frying pan, baking tray and baking paper, oven gloves, spatula, grater, salad bowl and whisk

Inspired by the kashkaval tost of Israeli cafés, filled with creamy mushrooms in the style of a croque; baked so all four toasties cook at once.

Mushroom and kashkaval toasties with rocket salad

Method

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On your plate

Recipe

Cooking tips

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