Try this delicious dish from a ‘Top Chef’

Ariane Durate shares her mushroom and goat cheese bruschetta recipe

Video: Cooking with a ‘Top Chef’

TODAY recipes

updated 12/4/2008 11:54:52 AM ET

Print
Font:
+
-

On the fourth week of “Top Chef” three chefs had to prepare a dish for the TODAY show and Meredith Vieira, Hoda Kotb, Natalie Morales and Kathie Lee Gifford got to judge. Chef Ariane Durate won the competition and is sharing her simple and scrumptious recipes for mushroom and herb goat cheese bruschetta and tequila marinated shrimp with avocado cream.

Recipe: Mushroom and herb goat cheese bruschetta drizzled with truffle oil (on this page) Recipe: Tequila marinated shrimp with avocado cream (on this page)

About Ariane Durate: The chef and owner of CulinAriane, a four-star restaurant in Montclair, N.J., Ariane, 41, was inspired to cook as a child by her grandmothers. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Ariane worked in several restaurants before opening CulinAriane with her husband. She believes it is important to keep smiling.

Recipe: Mushroom and herb goat cheese bruschetta drizzled with truffle oil

Ariane Durate

Ingredients

2 mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and rough chopped (oyster, shiitake, portabello)
8 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, minced
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
Salt and pepper
Focaccia bread, sliced about 1/4-inch thick and 3 inches in length
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, de-stemmed
3 cloves garlic, smashed
8 ounces herb garlic goat cheese, room temperature
White truffle oil

Preparation

Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and quickly saute. Season with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 3-5 minutes. Season again with salt and pepper. Finish with parsley and chives, remove from heat and let cool. Transfer mushroom mixture to a food processor and quickly pulse until chunky but not smooth.

In a blender, add the olive oil, thyme and garlic. Blend until smooth. Brush onto focaccia. Toast in 400-degree oven, remove and season with salt and pepper. Spread the goat cheese on the warm focaccia toasts. Top with mushroom mixture and drizzle with truffle oil.

search for more recipes in TODAY Food

Print Email Save to my recipe box Go to my recipe box

Recipe: Tequila marinated shrimp with avocado cream

Ariane Durate

Ingredients

Tequila marinated shrimp
16 shrimp, medium to large (20-25 ct), raw, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup tequila
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Avocado cream
2 avocados
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon creme fraiche, or sour cream
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper

Preparation

For the shrimp, in a large bowl, combine and mix everything together except for the shrimp. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Transfer to smaller container and refrigerate overnight.

For the avocado cream, add all ingredients to a food processor and cream until smooth.