Sara Moulton's Mushroom Rolls

1 . Stage

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2 . Stage

Heat half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until all the liquid has evaporated. Add the thyme and sherry. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the mixture is almost dry. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the sour cream, and season with salt and pepper. You should have 1 cup of filling.

3 . Stage

To make the rolls, melt the remaining butter. Roll out the bread slices with a rolling pin until very thin. Place about 2 teaspoons of the filling on each slice of bread. Roll up the bread to enclose the filling and form a cylinder, and brush all over with melted butter. (At this point the rolls can be placed in a zipper-type plastic freezer bag and frozen for future use. Frozen rolls take a few extra minutes in the oven.)

4 . Stage

Cut the rolls crosswise into 2 pieces, place on a baking sheet seam side down, and bake for about 15 minutes or until crisp. Serve warm.