Maple-Glazed Mushroom Tartines with Whipped Sheep's Yogurt

Taste

This is a brunch tartine built around three Quebec ingredients hitting their stride at the end of April: meaty king oyster mushrooms from local growers, just-tapped 2026 maple syrup, and tangy sheep’s milk yogurt from Fromagerie Nouvelle France. The mushrooms sear hard in Laiterie Chagnon’s cultured butter until the edges caramelize, then get glossed with a spoonful of maple at the end so the sweetness reads as a glaze rather than a sauce. Cold lemony yogurt under the warm mushrooms keeps every bite balanced, and Hof Kelsten sourdough catches the buttery pan juices.

Instructions

1. Whip the yogurt. In a small bowl, whisk the sheep’s milk yogurt with the lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, and a pinch of salt until it loosens and turns satiny — about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust with more salt if needed. Refrigerate while you cook the mushrooms. ⏱︎ 30 sec

2. Prep the mushrooms. Trim the woody base from each king oyster, then slice the stems lengthwise into 1 cm planks. The wide flat face is what gives you the best sear, so resist cutting them too thin.

3. Sear the mushrooms. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add 25 g of the cultured butter and the remaining olive oil. When the butter foams and quiets, lay the mushroom planks in a single layer (work in two batches if needed — crowding steams them). Don’t move them for 3–4 minutes, until the underside is deeply golden brown. Flip, add the smashed garlic, and cook another 2–3 minutes until the second side is bronzed and the planks feel tender when pressed. ⏱︎ 4 min

4. Glaze. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Drop in the remaining 15 g of butter and pour in the maple syrup. Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter-maple over the mushrooms for about 30 seconds, until the glaze turns glossy and clings. Discard the garlic, season with a pinch of flaky salt and several grinds of black pepper, and pull the pan off the heat. ⏱︎ 30 sec

5. Toast the bread. Toast the sourdough slices until well-coloured and crisp at the edges — a hot oven at 220 °C (425 °F) for 4–5 minutes, or a dry skillet over medium heat works just as well. ⏱︎ 5 min

6. Build the tartines. Spread a thick swoop of whipped yogurt across each slice of toast, leaving a small border. Pile the mushrooms on top with all of their pan glaze, then scatter generously with chives and pea shoots. Finish each tartine with flaky salt and a final crack of pepper, and serve immediately while the mushrooms are warm and the yogurt is still cold.

Tips

• Mushroom swap: If king oysters aren’t available, a mix of grey, blue, and yellow oyster mushrooms (also from Les Serres Bertrand) works beautifully — tear larger ones into bite-sized pieces and shorten the sear by a minute or two.
• Make it heartier: Crown each tartine with a soft-poached egg to turn this into a proper weekend brunch. The yolk plus maple-mushroom glaze is the whole game.
• Yogurt alternative: Plain Greek yogurt, labneh, or even ricotta thinned with a spoonful of milk all stand in for the sheep’s milk yogurt. Keep the lemon zest and salt — they make the base taste like more than just dairy.
• Don’t skip resting the pan. When you add the maple syrup, the pan needs to drop in temperature first or the syrup will scorch and turn bitter. Wait until the butter foam subsides before pouring it in.
• Bread matters. A dense, sour-tangy loaf holds up to the toppings without going soggy. A soft sandwich bread will collapse — go for sourdough or a country loaf with a chewy crumb.