We're visiting friends in Northern Michigan and have been invited to a party tonight. The host is providing the main course, and guests are encouraged to bring an appetizer.

Northern Michigan hosts several American Spoon stores. A visit to any one of their shops is wonderful inspiration for unique recipe creations filled with the flavors of Northern Michigan's orchards and forests.

American Spoon is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year and remains committed to supporting local Michigan farmers. Michigan's prolific, yet short, growing season is lovingly preserved in jars of preserves, relishes, mustards, vinaigrettes and many other unique condiments. According to the recent American Spoon press release:

"American Spoon also continues to go to great lengths to source rare, wild fruits. It contracts with local residents in the Keweenaw of Michigan’s UP (Upper Peninsula) to pick precious wild thimbleberries. The company has dozens of people across Michigan’s Northern Lower Peninsula who forage local wild blackberries and wild elderberries. An almost forgotten fruit, wild elderberries are de-stemmed by hand, crushed, steamed and pressed in an antique cider press to make a purple-black jelly that was once a favorite on Midwestern farms."

In a couple of months, we'll be foraging for mushrooms in Michigan hide-aways, but don't have to wait to taste the savory goodness of freshly harvesting mushrooms. We selected a Wild Mushroom Relish that inspires a delicious goat cheese crostini appetizer. Roasted purple pearl onions are edible art and the perfect garnish for an appetizer such as this.

Zingermans and Plum Market carry a variety of American Spoon products, but at last check, neither of these stores carried the Portobello Relish that I used. If you'd like to purchase the condiment, call 1-800-222-5886 and they will be delighted to send it to you. Grilled sautéed mushrooms would be a fine substitute.

Yield: 20-24 crostini
Active Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes for toasts and 25 minutes for onions
Cost: Approx. $15

Ingredients

1 baguette, cut into 20-24 pieces
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, cut into slices
1 (8 ounce) jar Portobello Mushroom Relish*
12.5 ounce goat cheese , softened
6-8 ounces red or white pearl onions
20-24 small thyme sprigs

*roasted mushrooms (cepes, portobellos,shiitakes) onions, red peppers, garlic,white wine, white wine vinegar, olive oil and lemon juice

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Rub one side of each baguette slice with cut side of garlic clove. Brush with olive oil. Place on 1-2 foil lined baking sheets and bake 30 minutes. Cool (can be made several days in advance and kept in a cookie tin.) Reserve baking sheet for onions.
3. Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch onions 1 minute. Rinse in cold water. Cut off stem end and root ends and peel onions. Cut each onion in half through center.
4. Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees. Whisk vinegar and olive oil together and toss with onions. Roast on middle rack on oven 15 minutes. With a spatula, turn onions pieces over and return to oven 10 minutes. Cool.
5. To assemble crostini, spread goat cheese over each toast. Spoon 1-2 teaspoons relish over goat cheese. Garnish with a piece of onion and thyme sprig.