Recipe by Chef John McConnell
Spring Bruschetta with Morels, Green Garlic & Fresh Peas
Spring time at the Clif Family Farm brings a crop of green garlic and fresh peas that make a beautiful and delicious topping for bruschetta. Especially when paired with the pungent earthy flavor of Morel mushrooms and Crescenza cheese from our friends at Bellwether Farms. Share with friends over a glass of Clif Family 2016 Grenache.
Ingredients:
1 rustic bread loaf from your favorite bakery
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 cup shelled fresh peas
1/4 lb. Morel mushrooms
2-3 stalks fresh green garlic
8 oz package Bellwether Farms Crescenza cheese
1 TBSP Clif Family Napa Valley Porcini Spice Rub
2-4 TBSP Clif Family Napa Valley Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Method:
Pre-slice bread and leave out uncovered, you’ll want bread slightly stale be-fore grilling to maintain crunchy texture after bread is toasted. Bring a me-dium pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Shell peas while water is ap-proaching boil. Prepare an ice bath (ice and water) to cool peas immediate-ly after they are blanched. Once peas are shelled and water is boiling, blanch peas until tender but still bright green. Plunge peas into ice bath to stop cooking and maintain color. Clean mushrooms from dirt and sauté in olive oil until tender, set aside. Slice green garlic into 1/4 inch coins and sauté in olive oil until caramelized. Prepare a BBQ grill or grill pan. Make sure pan is preheated before grilling bread to ensure a proper toast. Grill bread dry to desired toast level and set aside. Brush grilled bread with clove of garlic and drizzle extra virgin olive oil on each side. Spread Crescenza evenly across all bruschetta. Top with peas, morels and green garlic. Sprinkle with porcini spice and drizzle extra virgin olive oil over top and serve.