This easy recipe was inspired by all the mushroom toast, ricotta toast and garlic confit toast recipes all over social media. But, of course I wanted to make my own fully-loaded version that takes the best of all three toasts. Say hello to my mushroom ricotta toast with garlic confit. This recipe combines the earthiness of sautéed mushrooms and herbs, the freshness of whipped ricotta and the sweetness of the confit garlic and honey. Savory and a little sweet garlic-y (and chive-y) toast here we come!

Mushrooms

You can use any mushrooms (or mixture of mushrooms) that you want for this toast. I personally like to use a mixture of mushrooms because of all the interesting textures different mushroom have. It also looks more rustic and each variety has subtle flavor differences. For this recipe, I used what I had at the market that day, which was a mix of sliced shiitake and sliced baby portobello. If you use shiitake and they don’t come pre-sliced with stems removed, I recommend removing the stems yourself because they are very hard. Just cut them out with a knife. My prepackaged sliced shiitake came already prepped and ready to go!

Garlic Confit

Garlic confit has so many uses and can be used in place of garlic or oil in so many recipes. It can be prepared ahead of time and brought to room temperature before serving or heated up on the stovetop for a few minutes. It is such an amazing flavor boost that I found myself creating this recipe just as an excuse to eat it again. See my full recipe on how to make garlic confit on the stove top in a fraction of the time as other recipes here.

Mushroom Ricotta Toast with Garlic Confit Recipe:
16 oz assorted sliced mushrooms (I used a mix of shiitake and baby portobello)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon rosemary or thyme minced
1 loaf French or rustic bread cut in to 1″ slices
16 oz fresh ricotta cheese (I used BelGioioso)
1/2 a lemon juiced
4 tablespoons chives chopped
1 tablespoon honey plus extra for serving
1 – 4-6oz bag of peeled garlic cloves
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Step 1:
Prepare the garlic confit by adding peeled garlic cloves to a small saucepan and cover with enough olive oil to completely submerge the garlic. If you have fresh rosemary or thyme springs, add in a few. Simmer on the lowest setting for around 35 minutes, or until very tender and lightly brown.

Step 2:
Prepare the whipped ricotta by adding ricotta, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, chopped chives, and Kosher salt to a food processor or blender. Blend for 30-45 seconds to aerate.

Step 3:
Prepare the toast by heating a cast iron skillet or frying pan to medium. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the garlic confit oil to the pan, warm for 30 seconds then add in bread slices. Toast bread in the pan until golden on each side, 2-3 minutes per side, adding more oil after flipping over as needed. Set aside.

Step 4:
Prepare the mushrooms by adding 1-2 tablespoons of the garlic confit oil to a cast iron skillet or frying pan and heat on high for 1-2 minutes. Add in mushrooms and rosemary to thyme and sear for 1-2 minutes, flip over and sear on the other side for 1-2 more minutes. Add in balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cook until balsamic is almost completely absorbed and mushrooms are soft around 6-8 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of honey to the pan and toss to combine.

Step 5:
Assemble toast. First, add 3-4 cloves of garlic confit to a toasted slice of bread. Using a fork, lightly smash the garlic cloves, spreading into the bread as a thin layer. Next, add a 1-inch thick layer of whipped ricotta spread. Finally, layer on mushrooms and top with more garlic confit, chives and a healthy drizzle of honey. Enjoy this amazing masterpeice!

Mushroom ricotta toast with garlic confit is great the next day, too. Just toast the bread and heat up mushrooms in a pan for 2-3 minutes and assemble!