Name: Wild Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Sandwich
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: About 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 pound mixed wild and domestic mushrooms, such as shiitakes (stems removed), creminis, portobellos, oyster mushrooms, and chanterelles, cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces.; Kosher salt; freshly ground black pepper; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 shallot, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme; 1/4 cup dry white wine; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley; 12 slices of country-style bread, about 3 inches long and ⅓ inch thick; 4 whole heads of roasted garlic, cloves squeezed to remove the softened garlic

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Wild Mushroom and Roasted Garlic SandwichCookbook cover image courtesy of Random House

Mushrooms are one of those foods for which proper technique makes all the difference. Cooked correctly—browned well, juices evaporated, and amply salted—they're full of flavor. Cooked badly—underseasoned and steamed instead of seared—they're slimy and insipid. The trick is to resist moving the mushrooms around in the pan. Cook them until they have colored on one side, then cook them on the other side, until their juices are almost completely gone, which concentrates their flavor. Seasoned well with coarse salt, they're irresistible.

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