Candied mushrooms? Like, with sugar?? Hard pass. Candied mushrooms are the sort of frou-frou B.S. I’d expect 15 year old me to try making, or a young cook still trying to figure out what a palette is. Honestly, I found the idea so annoying it was nearly offensive. These are mushrooms we’re talking about, I…
Wild Mushroom Recipes
Lobster Mushroom Rolls
Lobster mushroom rolls are a solid way to enjoy your harvest. Lobster rolls are usually a pretty simple thing: really fresh lobster, mayonnaise, and maybe some chives or celery, since it’s all about the lobster. But lobster mushroom rolls, if they’re going to taste like anything, need some extra attention, lobster mushrooms having a much…
The Black Staining Polypore
A number of years ago I got an envelope in the mail, ground dried powder of Meripilus sumstinei, the black staining polypore or rooster of the woods. it the first time someone sent me mushrooms in the mail I’d never met, which, is now a pretty regular occurrence (currently I’m waiting on honey truffles to…
Simple Black Trumpet-Potato Gratin
Potatoes are a perfect partner for mushrooms since they won’t overpower them. They let the mushroom take center stage, which is exactly what I want after I spent half of the day on my hands and knees with a scissors cutting black trumpets off of the ground. One of the easiest, and tastiest things I…
Braised Lobster Mushrooms with Tomato and Leek
Way back, a long time ago, I wrote a recipe for braising a lobster mushroom whole, and, while it was an ok way to cook them, as the years past, the recipe has been on my list to update, so here you go. The original recipe was a simple stewed mushroom cooked whole, and while…
Dried Black Trumpet-Ramp Butter
I’ve never met a wild mushroom butter I didn’t like, and the few variations on the simple theme (especially the fresh porcini butter) are some of the most trusty and popular recipes on this website. For the most part, you can substitute different mushrooms in the basic recipe, but this one I developed especially to…
Lobster Mushroom Confit
I’d struggle to think of anything that wouldn’t be good seasoned and cooked covered in fat with herbs, and lobster mushroom confit is no exception. Even though mushrooms will never get fork tender like a pheasant thigh, or a goose leg, they’re still great candidates for confit, but especially chunky, ones like lobster mushrooms. Lobster…
Salted Wild Mushrooms in Brine
Once I started reading about traditional ways to preserve mushrooms around the world, one of the first ones I came across was salted wild mushrooms, an old stand-by used in plenty of places, but most notably Eastern Europe. It’s not that popular in America, but one trip to a market with an Eastern European ownership…
Sicilian Chicken of the Woods
Think eating chicken of the woods is strictly an American thing? The continents separated a long time ago, but we still share many of the same mushrooms, at least as far as culinary purposes are concerned (specific species are another story). Doing research with Jesse for The Wild Harvest show as we planned Episode 3…
French Lentils with Sauteed Wild Mushrooms
When I got back from hunting with a bag full of fresh Gyroporus cyanescens, one of the only boletes I prefer fresh to dried, this is what I made. It’s super simple, and just a snapshot of the simple European food I usually cook at home. First you make a soffrito by finely chopping some…
Pheasant Back Fermented Soy Sauce
Prime pheasant back season is usually about over after the spring chicken of the woods pop, but just because they’re big and tough as nails doesn’t mean you can’t do anything with them, and pheasant back shoyu is a great example, especially if you like edible science projects. Shoyu and it’s cousin tamari (soy sauces…
Cooking Wild Mushrooms with the Wet Saute
A while ago a video on cooking mushrooms started circulating in the online community that turned a lot of heads, at least in my world. In a nutshell, the video discussed the benefits in depth (see the video) of adding water to mushrooms before they’re sautéed. At first, I thought l “ok science guy, the…
Gnocchi with Chicken of the Woods Lemon Cream
In the world of wild mushrooms, chicken of the woods is pretty special. It’s striking, bright orange, and easy to ID, sure, but the flavor might the most unique thing about it. I’ve cut large, young chickens off a tree and had them gush orange juice down my arms as I cut–not the average experience…