Mushroom Toasts

Here is an old recipe my mom used to make for holiday appetizers.  The recipe was originally published in The Camden (ME) Herald  on December 29, 1989.   The original recipe is incredibly rich.  I've lightened it up a bit by reducing the amount of butter I used by 1/4 of a cup.  I also brushed olive oil on top of the bread instead of the butter (yes more butter) that the original recipe called for. The resulting dish is follows the less is more theory.  A single toast--or two-- will suffice since you want to make sure you save room for the main course.

MUSHROOM TOASTS

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup fresh mushrooms, finely chopped

1/2 cup butter

1 Tablespoon mayonnaise

1/2 Teaspoon paprika

Olive oil

Thinly sliced bread cut into triangles or two-bite sized pieces

1)  Preheat oven to broil.

2)  Saute onions in a 1/2 cup of butter until soft.

Butter and onions

3)  Stir in mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft and the liquid has evaporated.

'shrooms

4)  Stir in mayo, cream cheese, and paprika.  Stir until well blended.

After the mixture has cooked down

5)  Brush toast slices with olive oil. Add 1 teaspoon of mushroom mixture to the top of each piece of
     bread.

Oiled bread

6)  Place toasts onto a baking sheet and broil 2-3 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Serve immediately.

Ready for the Thanksgiving table