Wild Mushroom and Pesto Crostini

This recipe was inspired by a dish my girlfriends and I shared at Lincoln Restaurant in Washington, DC this spring.  Since all of my closest girlfriends no longer all live in the same city, we re-united in our nation's captial to celebrate our dear friend's upcoming nuptials.  We stumbled onto Lincoln Restaurant by chance, and were glad we did.
 

 
Lincoln Restaurant is know for it's playful dedication to Abraham Lincoln in a chic, upscale way.   The theme "Food of the People, by the People, for the People" is complemented with an unusual floor made entirely from pennies, and with gorgeous back lit walls scripted with the famous Emancipation Proclamation. We were thrilled with its seasonal small plate menu and found everything delicious.

Floor of restaurant, made up of 799,997 pennies

Throughout our meal one dish really stuck out and I had to try to re-create it at home -Lincoln's mushroom bruchetta.  The only difference is Lincoln's dish included pea's and ricotta cheese and I was fresh out of both of those ingredients.  Regardless, this mushroom appetizer still turned out great!

This dish is not only delicious, it is easy to prepare, but also makes me incredibly happy thinking back to a really fun girls weekend.  Also great served as an hor' dourve at dinner parties!

Ingredients
serves 4

1/2 of a whole wheat baguette
1 1/2 cups of wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup of prepared pesto
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp of garlic, pureed or minced
2 tbsp of freshly grated Parmesan cheese 
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Add garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes until brown over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and saute for 8-10 minutes until thoroughly cooked.  Remove from heat and add sauteed mushrooms to a small mixing bowl of prepared pesto.  Toss until mushrooms are evenly coated.  Slice whole wheat baguette in half length-wise and then cut into small 1/2 inch slices.   Toast until golden brown and then top with mushrooms and Parmesan.  Enjoy!

Me and my girls @LincolnWDC

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