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Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

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Shaggy Mane Ink Compound Butter

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Shaggy mane mushroom ink compound butter recipe

Shaggy mane ink butter is very different from other mushroom compound butters. 

I have a few different mushroom compound butters on this website, but shaggy mane ink butter is different. If you’re unfamiliar, shaggy manes / Coprinus comatus (also known as lawyer’s wig mushrooms or shaggy inkcaps) turn into an inky black substance as they mature. The transformation from mushroom to goo might look unappetizing, but it’s actually safe to eat. 

Shaggy mane mushrooms or coprinus comatus

A nice haul, but these young shaggy mane mushrooms are a little dirty and need to be washed.

Instead of bacterial decomposition, deliquescing (the technical name) is a spore-spreading trick that the shaggys and their cousins like Coprinopsis atramentarius which you shouldn’t eat developed over time. Basically, it’s an enzymatic process, which is different from eating rotten food, although the thought of it might scare some people at first.

Shaggy mane mushroom ink recipe

Shaggy mane mushroom ink.

I’m not going to go into the whole process of deliquescing and making culinary ink in this post. Basically, you let the mushrooms sit out and turn black, then you cook and process them into a smooth, black puree.

The mushroom compound butter here is just a fun idea for you to try after you’ve gone through the journey of making the ink. There’s a step-by-step guide to making the ink in the link at the bottom of this post if you’re interested. I owe a debt to mushroom hunting trailblazers Chef Chad Hyatt and David Arora for turning me onto the process of making the ink. 

How to make shaggy mane mushroom ink recipe

Deliquesced shaggy manes: this is what the butter’s made from, as odd as it may seem. 

How to use the butter 

Mushroom compound butter has all kinds of uses. Here’s a few of my favorite examples. 

  • Cut a slice and let it melt on top of a steak. 
  • Toss some with wilted spinach or your favorite leafy green. 
  • Stir some into a mushroom risotto at the least minute. 
  • Melt the butter and spoon it on top of your favorite mushroom soup, especially brothy ones. 
  • Spread the butter on grilled toast, then top it with sauteed mushrooms as I do in my wild mushroom tartine. 

Adapting the recipe 

Besides making the ink, which takes some time and patience, this is just a simple wild mushroom compound butter, and you can switch things up and adjust the seasonings to your taste. Here’s a few ideas. 

  • Adding fresh lemon zest to taste can brighten the butter if you find the taste mild. 
  • Adding some grated garlic and fresh chopped Italian parsley is a good way boost the flavor. 
  • Adding herbs, especially chopped fresh thyme or summer savory are good too.

I don’t have shaggy mane ink

If you haven’t made the mushroom ink, or don’t want to. You can substitute a puree of black trumpet mushrooms for the shaggy mane ink, and it will work just fine. 

shaggy mane mushroom ink compound butter

Shaggy mane compound butter, made from shaggy mane ink.

shaggy mane mushroom ink compound butter
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Shaggy Mane Ink Compound Butter

Compound butter made from shaggy mane mushroom ink. Toss it with pasta, melt it on a steak, spread it on grilled bread, etc.
Prep Time5 mins
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Shaggy Mane
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • ½ cup shaggy mane ink see recipe, slowly reduced down to ¼ cup, chilled
  • 8 oz unsalted butter chilled
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste

Instructions

  • Chop the butter into pieces, then put in a food processor with the shaggy mane ink.
  • Pulse the mixture the break it up, then continue pureeing until it becomes smooth and homogenous.
  • Season the mushroom butter with salt and pepper until it tastes good to you.
  • Remove the butter to a piece of parchment, roll into an even log, wrap in plastic or vacuum seal, and freeze.
  • The butter will keep in the fridge for a week, and can be frozen for up to a year.
  • Use the finished butter in soups, sauces, and melted on top of steaks and vegetables.

More 

How to Make Shaggy Mane Mushroom Ink
Forager’s Guide to Shaggy Mane Mushrooms

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Alan Bergo
Morels: the only wild mushroom I count by the each Morels: the only wild mushroom I count by the each instead of the pound. 

Good day today, although my Twin Cities spots seem a full two weeks behind from the late spring. 2 hours south they were almost all mature. 

76 for me and 152 for the group. Check your spots, and good luck! 

#morels #murkels #mollymoochers #drylandfish #spongemushroom #theprecious
The first time I’ve seen fungal guttation-a natu The first time I’ve seen fungal guttation-a natural secretion of water I typically see with plants. 

I understand it as an indicator that the mushrooms are growing rapidly, and a byproduct of their metabolism speeding up. If you have some clarifications, chime in. 

Most people know it from Hydnellum 
peckii-another polypore. I’ve never seen it on pheasant backs before.

Morels are coming soon too. Mine were 1 inch tall yesterday in the Twin Cities. 

#guttation #mushroomhunting #cerioporussquamosus #pheasantback #naturesbeauty
Rain and heat turned the flood plain forest into a Rain and heat turned the flood plain forest into a grocery store. 

#groceryshopping #sochan #rudbeckialaciniata #foraging
Italian wild food traditions are some of my favori Italian wild food traditions are some of my favorite. 

Case in point: preboggion, a mixture of wild plants, that, depending on the reference, should be made with 5-23 individual plants. 

Here’s a few mixtures I’ve made this spring, along with a reference from the Oxford companion to Italian food. 

The mixture should include some bitter greens (typically assorted asters) but the most important plant is probably borage. 

Making your own version is a good excercise. Here they’re wilted with garlic and oil, but there’s a bunch of traditional recipes the mixture is used in. 

Can you believe this got cut from my book?!

#preboggion #preboggiun #foraging #traditionalfoods
Oh the things I get in the mail. This is my kind Oh the things I get in the mail. 

This is my kind of tip though: a handmade buckskin bag with a note and a handful of bleached snapping turtle claws. 😁😂 

Sent in by Leslie, a reader. 

Smells like woodsmoke and the cat quickly claimed it as her new bed. 

#buckskin #mailsurprise #turtleclaws #thisimylife #cathouse
Bluebell season. Destined for a Ligurian ravioli Bluebell season. 

Destined for a Ligurian ravioli as a replacement for the traditional borage greens. 

#mertensiavirginica #virginiabluebells #spring #foraging
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