you’ll need:
- french bread
- shiso pesto
- shiitake mushrooms
- thyme
- smoked chicken
- make yourself some shiso pesto. don’t know how? don’t worry, i got your back. check out this page.
- slice the bread. remember, a crostini is typically made from a baguette of some kind so you can maintain that beautiful plate-like disk. i like to slice at a diagonal to maximize the surface area and give a little bit more of slender, elegant look to my appetizers. slice as thin as you possibly can. the goal is to make a slice thin enough that it can be consumed without tearing at, but thick enough that it doesn’t burn up in the oven. give them a quick toast on high temperature, maybe only two or three minutes. be careful, make sure to watch them while they are in the oven.
- get yourself some smoked chicken. i tend to make my own, which is what i used in this recipe. the chicken was brined in a mixture of curry spices and beer and then apple smoked over a long period of time. you can read more about that here.
- wash the shiitake, remove their stems, and slice them good and thin. pop them in a frying pan with a little bit of oil over medium heat. as they start to brown and soften, add a little bit of thyme, salt, and pepper. that should be all they need. make sure not to overcook them or they will be slimy and textureless.
- assemble. slice the chicken and pile it on first. then add the mushrooms. finally, slather the whole ordeal with some of that tasty, tasty shiso pesto.