I’m calling this morel-gasm. Basically, it’s creamed morels served in toasted, hollowed out rounds of brioche–Just think morel mini bread bowl. It’s ridiculously rich, a snap to make, and something you should give a shot if you’re a morel hunter. The inspiration came from reading one of Richard Olney’s books I’d been perusing for a…
Fresh Mushroom Recipes
Dryad Saddle Pickles with Jalapeno & Dill
I have a few friends in particular that go out every year for morels and consistently can’t grab enough for a meal. But, one thing they can usually count on are a few dryad saddles / pheasant backs (Cerioporus squamosus). The flavor is strong, and some people don’t care for it, but, however you feel…
Lactifluus Volemus with Shrimp, Smoked Paprika, Garlic and Parsley
One of the most noticeable things about Lactifluus volemus is their smell, a sort of strong, cheesy, crotchy aroma. Whatever you want to compare it to, it’s strong, and it’s noticeable, as long as the mushrooms are fresh. The smell fades as it cooks though, and transforms into delicious, nutty, mushroomyness. Here’s one of the…
Capellini With Fairy Ring Mushroom Sauce
Less is more here: a simple recipe for the delicious, yard loving fairy ring mushroom. There’s just something about how angel hair pasta soaks up a little sauce like this, the small size of the mushrooms is perfect for a noodle like this too. Yellowfoot chanterelles would make a great substitute, too. Serves 2 Ingredients…
Cisco with Fragrant Black Trumpets and Summer Greens
Here’s a simple salad you can make with wild shrooms. I made this specifically for fragrant black trumpets, but many different wild mushrooms would work here, just make sure all of your ingredients are the best you can find. It’s easy: gather a salad, cook some fish, then saute some mushrooms in a large amount…
Grilled Hen of the Woods Duxelles
We’ve all been there, you came upon your hen tree, or maybe you just stumbled on a new one, and it’s packed with pounds and pounds of clean, fresh hens. Finding them was the easy part. Now comes the work of bringing them home, along with hours of cleaning, cooking and processing. With mushrooms so…
Hen of the woods fritters
If you hunt hen of the woods, you’ve probably had the problem of not knowing what to do with large-sized hens that pop up during the season. Hens are the best young, but it’s easier said than done to get them at that perfect, tender, button stage. Thankfully, and in some ways unfortunately, they stay…
Does storing truffles with eggs really work?
Ask a chef or someone who likes truffles how to store or cook with them to get the most out of them, and you can get some confusing answers: “Cook them in chicken stock!” “They must be stored with rice!” “Store them in a case of butter!” “Chopped up to make truffle butter!” “Store them…
Miso Soup with Shaved Matsutake
One of the best ways to understand mushrooms from a culinary perspective is to find cultures that traditionally use them, with matsutake, that typically means that I’m going to look at Japanese food, although I suspect there might be some Scandinavian tricks hiding out somewhere too. Japan is the only country/culture I know of that…
Hen of the Woods Roast with Leeks and Black Walnuts
2018 hen season was wet, and rainy. I’d prayed for the rain for years, and it was great for the mushrooms. Chanterelles, aborted entolomas, lobsters, boletes, oh man, the boletes! What it was not good for was hen of the woods. Boletes love the rain, they grow fast, and return to where they came, quickly….
Raw Matsutake
Matsutake, just like other expensive, often rare ingredients, (cliché examples being foie gras, truffles, caviar, etc) can be confusing. We assume an amazing experience with the price tag, but If you serve them to someone who was blindfolded and who had no idea what they were, or the history surrounding them, you might get reactions…
Milwaukee Rice Bowl with Coral Mushrooms and Lotus Root
I didn’t get to attend classes at the Midwest Wild Harvest Festival this year, but I did have a great time with some good takeaways. If you’re not familiar, it’s a bit like Hogwarts School of Magic for adults, and is run by Forager’s Harvest. You can take classes with wild food experts from around…
Wild Mushrooms Bordelaise (Bourdeaux Style)
When summer is peaking and the mushroom gods bless the woods with rain, there’s a few tried and true recipes that don’t need any embellishment or re-interpretation. WIld mushrooms bordelaise, and wild mushrooms persillade are the two best examples I know of. When we get into historical-type preparations, you start digging into minutia. Basically what…