Imagine the salty, cheesy crust on a grilled cheese sandwich, but wrapped around a shaggy mane mushroom-that’s exactly what this recipe is. The inspiration for it came from two different places. The first part came to me while reading one of David Arora’s books-when he mentions shaggy manes there is a picture of his friend…
Appetizers
Lobster Mushroom Terrine
After our last hunt for lobster mushrooms I started getting to work on some recipes, the first one being this fun terrine. If you’re a mushroom hunter yourself, you know that your fridge can easily get cramped from storing shrooms, so that was a big part of the inspiration for this. The other idea was…
Chanterelle Custard / Pot du Creme
Our chanterelles in the Midwest are delicious, in my opinion much more than the variety that I see coming in from the Pacific Northwest. The P.N.W chanterelle I’m familiar with I suspect to be one cantharellus formosus, it turns brown after pickling, where our chanterelles will stay golden, it’s flavor is also less intense, less…
Milkweed Shoots Milanese
During the winter I dreamed of all that I could do with the plants I had been researching. Milkweed shoots were on the top of the list, and there was one recipe that I knew would be great. In Milan they have a preparation for asparagus called “a la Milanese” (pronounced: milahnaysay), it’s a…
Grecian Black Morels
I made a new friend this year. I’ve never met her, but I know her name is Teriyaki, and that she lives in Athens and loves to hunt mushrooms. Out of the blue online I got a message from her on my birthday, kinda like getting a present from the other side of the world….
Wild Mushrooms With Breadcrumbs, Garlic, And Chili
This is one of the simplest, and most popular ways I know to prepare any mushroom. Wild mushrooms with slippery caps, especially slippery jacks or other boletes are my favorite for this though, since the crunch of the breadcrumbs is a great foil for the tenderness of the mushroom. It’s my go to recipe if…
Dry Sauteed Blewits With Shallots And Tarragon
The first few times I eat something new I try to keep it very basic, so I can learn what the flavor is like and then begin to plan appropriately for it. There is varying information on the internet regarding the cookery of blewits, mostly just basic techniques and blewits being cooked in places where…
Slippery Jack Escargot: With Garlic Butter, Parsley And Breadcrumbs
I cannot take credit for this awesome method, that honor is due to Jack Czarnecki, author of numerous books on mushroom cookery and an inspiration to people who delve into the strange circles of mycophagy (people that are obsessed with eating mushrooms). In his book Joe’s book of mushroom cookery, he describes a recipe in…
Veal Liver With Chanterelle Cream Sauce And Garlic Mustard
I like liver, but lots of people don’t like offal and organ meats. They are ugly, gross things that only cavemen (or Europeans) would eat. They have funky textures, flavors, and scents. The way many people eat now, it is totally understandable how such things are foreign, strange, or just plain gross. At the super…
Purple Asparagus, Wtih Ramp Bearnaise Sauce
Here is an awesome recipe for ramps and asparagus. Everyone has had asparagus with hollandaise, but making the hollandaise with ramps brings the combo to new heights. Purple asparagus is one of my favorite spring treats too, it’s an Italian varietal that is a bit sweeter than green asparagus, and also doesn’t make your pee…
Classic Fried or Breaded Morels
Any mushroom hunter worth their salt should know a fine fried morel recipe. People will argue until the end of time as to what method is the best: some swear by saltines, some use just flour, some like egg batter. Hands down, the favorite of my friends and I is a basic flour-egg-flour method. As…
Pickled Ramp Sour Cream
Pickled ramp sour cream is one of the most hard-working garnishes I’ve ever served. I remember tables regularly ordering multiples, or repeat sides of the roasted beet dish I used to serve with them that I’ll share with you, too. It’s no secret everybody loves picking ramps, and, of those that harvest their own, plenty…