Tag: mushroom

Sandwiched Parasol Mushrooms

24 October 2024

In 2005 Antonio Carluccio published The Quiet Hunt, the Complete Mushroom Book. In this book he describes various mushrooms, discusses their habitat and edibility and of course offers a range of mushroom recipes. Recently we were at a second-hand bookstore, and we spotted La Passion des Champignons. We assumed that this was the French version of The Quiet Hunt, but surprisingly it wasn’t! The original of this book is called A Passion for Mushrooms and was published in 1989. We obviously expected some overlap between the two, but since we saw several new recipes, we decided to buy it. As soon as we were at home, we compared the two books. In a Passion for Mushrooms, you will also find descriptions of various mushrooms plus a range of mushroom recipes. The overlap however is minimal. A Passion for Mushrooms includes some wonderful recipes and combinations we didn’t expect, for instance Filet de Bœuf aux Pleurotes et aux Chanterelles, Truite aux Pied Blues, Ragout de Crevettes Rose et de Morilles and Velouté d’Huitre aux Truffes. The book also includes a chapter on conservation techniques.

We prepared two dishes from the book, Sandwiched Parasol Mushrooms and Halibut with Saffron Milk Cap.

A Passion for Mushrooms is a must have for mushroom-lovers. The book is available via the usual channels and perhaps at your local second-hand bookstore. Prices will vary.

Sandwiched Mushrooms

The Parasol Mushroom is a common mushroom in many countries. It is very tasty and easy to prepare. It has a beautiful juicy and meaty texture, and its flavour is delicate with a touch of lemon. Simply fry the caps alla Milanese or stuff young parasol mushrooms with onion, sage or minced meat. Or in this case, with ham and cheese!
We liked the idea of sandwiching because it allows for a nice amount of stuffing and it keeps the mushroom intact. By frying the sandwiched parasol mushrooms in the oven, the mushrooms will become thin and crunchy. The flavour of the stuffing was more complex than we expected. The combination of ham, cheese and parsley worked very well. Be careful with the breadcrumbs, these are only needed to get the right consistency.

Wine Pairing

A Pinot Grigio from the Italian Alto Adige region will be a great accompaniment. In general, you’re looking for a white, fresh, dry, non oaked wine with floral notes.

What You Need
  • 4 Parasol Mushrooms or large Mushrooms (portabella)
  • Shallot
  • Garlic
  • Egg
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Gruyere or Emmenthaler
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Ham
  • Parsley
  • Black Pepper
  • Olive Oil
What You Do

Details of the recipe can be found in A Passion for Mushrooms. Buy the book and enjoy this dish and many more!
Finely chop the shallot and fry in olive oil. Clean the mushroom and discard the stem (if using parasol mushrooms, otherwise chop the stems and fry with the shallot). Add finely chopped garlic to the pan. After a few minutes remove from the heat and allow to cool. Chop the ham and the parsley, grate the two cheeses. Whisk the egg, add cheeses, black pepper, parsley and ham. Add the shallot and garlic. Add breadcrumbs. Add half of the mixture on top of a cap and close with another slightly smaller cap. Add oil to a baking tray, add the two sets of mushrooms. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with some breadcrumbs and then add a few drops of olive oil. Fry in the oven at 180 °C or 355 °F for 20 minutes.

Sandwiched Parasol Mushrooms ©cadwu
Parasol Mushrooms

Girolle and Guineafowl

10 October 2024

The Girolle (or Chanterelle) season in Europe runs from late summer until late autumn. It’s a much-loved mushroom, especially the golden (common) girolle, but let’s not forget the chanterelle jaune, the chanterelle grise and the trompette de la mort. The common girolle remains tender and somewhat meaty when cooked, which makes it ideal when thinking of a rich sauce. You will taste delicate nutty, buttery and earthy flavours. Delicious when combined with the gentle flavours of guineafowl. The sauce we made is fairly simple: it’s all about enhancing the texture and the flavours of the mushroom. The parsley will bring a freshness and bitterness to the sauce.

Guineafowl meat is leaner, somewhat darker and more flavourful compared to chicken. It is not difficult to prepare, but due to the low-fat content you must be careful not to overcook. In this recipe we use guineafowl supreme (the breast fillet with the skin on plus the wing bone) which is perhaps the tastiest part of the guineafowl. 

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed a glass of Le Jardin de Fleur La Mothe made by Château Fleur la Mothe with merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes. An affordable wine from the French Médoc region. The wine has a beautiful deep red colour, the tannins are balanced and the fruit nicely present, both in the aroma and the flavour. In general, we suggest a smooth, medium bodied red wine with fruity aromas. 

What You Need
  • For the Guineafowl
    • 2 Guineafowl Supremes
    • Pancetta
    • Olive Oil
  • For the Sauce
    • 150 grams of Golden Girolle
    • One small Shallot
    • One small Garlic Clove
    • Double Cream
    • Crème Fraîche
    • Dijon Mustard
    • Vegetable Stock
    • Parsley
    • Butter
    • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 °C or 355 °F
  2. Thinly slice the pancetta
  3. Open the supreme, add pancetta and then close the supreme, using kitchen twine
  4. Fry the supreme in olive oil in a heavy iron skillet until golden
  5. Transfer the skillet to the oven. The internal temperature of the meat should be minimum 70°C or 160°F.
  6. Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper.
  7. Halve or quarter the mushrooms, depending on the size
  8. Finely chop the shallot and the garlic.
  9. When the guineafowl is ready, transfer the pan to your kitchen top, cover the meat with aluminium foil and allow to rest. This way the meat will be moist and not over-cooked.
  10. Now it’s time to prepare the sauce. Add butter to a warm pan, add the shallot, gently fry for a few minutes, add the girolles, fry, reduce heat, add the garlic.
  11. After a few minutes add the vegetable stock. Stir.
  12. After a few minutes add double cream, crème fraîche and some Dijon mustard.
  13. Stir well and create a thick creamy sauce. Taste and add some black pepper.
  14. wo minutes before serving add the parsley.
  15. Slice the guineafowl and serve 3 or 4 slices on top of the sauce.
Girolle and Guineafowl ©cadwu
Girolle and Guineafowl ©cadwu
PS

More mushroom recipes on our mushroom page.

Cordyceps

3 October 2024

Bright orange mushrooms that look like spaetzle? Interesting. We pick one up and look carefully: a long stem but without a cap with spores. Odd. We ask if they are edible, and the obvious answer is “yes”. We buy 100 grams and decide to look for details and recipes in our mushroom cookery books when at home.
Hm. No mention of Cordyceps. We visit the Forager Chef (Alan Bergo) and read about the background of the Cordyceps (or better: Ophiocordyceps). Parasite mushroom, infects insects, controls them, takes over, kills and then sprouts a fruiting body from their head. The fruit we just bought…
Fortunately, the Cordyceps we bought are grown on substrates that are not made of insects, which make them less scary. Normally when we find a new mushroom on the market, we taste it raw, but not today.
We quickly wash our hands and watch this BBC video as suggested by Chef Bergo. Interesting, but we prefer the culinary aspects of mushrooms.

Use

In traditional Chinese medicine dried and powdered cordyceps are used. Today it is considered to be superfood, supposedly boosting your vitality and endurance. Fresh cordyceps are used in Chinese soups and hot pots. Chef Bergo uses them in a dish with linguini. He writes: “The cordyceps weren’t mind blowing, but they definitely weren’t bad”.
We decide to make an Asia-inspired salad, with stir fried cordyceps, obviously. The salad tasted great. It was nutty, mild, fresh and the texture of the mushrooms worked beautifully with the crunchy radishes. 

Wine Pairing

Best to drink a white wine with a touch of oak, perhaps a chardonnay. We tried something different, a wine made with a grape called Bouquet 1359. The wine is produced by French winery Abbotts & Delaunay. The grape was developed by Alain Bouquet. It is somewhat similar to the chardonnay grape but more resistant and easier to use in an ecologic environment. It comes with aromas of brioche and yellow fruit; the taste is fresh, long and slightly nutty. 

What You Need
  • 100 grams Cordyceps
  • 1 Scallion
  • Bok Choy
  • White Radishes or Daikon
  • Walnut Oil
  • Jerez Vinegar
  • Light Soy Sauce (we used Tsuyu)
  • French Mustard
  • Olive Oil
What You Do

Clean the mushrooms if necessary. Cook radishes or daikon for 4 minutes in boiling water. Let cool quickly and slice or quarter. Finely slice one or two bok choy stems, depending on the size. Heat a skillet, add some olive oil and fry the mushrooms. After 1 minute add the sliced bok choy and the pre-cooked radishes. Toss, leave for 1 or 2 minutes and allow to cool. Transfer to the refrigerator. When ready to serve, make a dressing by combining walnut oil, soy sauce, Jerez vinegar and a touch of mustard. The mustard will emulsify the dressing. Taste and adjust. Happy? Then add the dressing to the salad, mix and serve as a side dish or small appetizer.

Inspiration

If you’re into video games you will have recognised cordyceps as inspiration of the action-adventure game The Last of Us, which was the inspiration for the American post-apocalyptic drama television series with the same tittle and produced by HBO.
The 2016 movie The Girl with All the Gifts was also inspired by cordyceps. Two Pokémon species are also based on Ophiocordyceps.

Nasty Details

A few days later we opened Merlin Sheldrake’s impressive book Entangled Life. He explains that the fungus doesn’t turn the insects into zombies but controls it like a puppeteer master. He describes how a specific species of Ophiocordyceps is focused on giant ants. The fungus infects the ant and from that moment on it controls the insect. In the end 40% of the body weight of the ant is mycelium (the network created by the fungus). Through the mycelium the fungus controls the ant. When the Ophiocordyceps is ready to propagate, it steers the ant to a height of approximately 25 cm, ideal for the fungus and its spores. The ant then bites into the main vein of a leaf and locks its jaws. The ant is now in an ideal position for the fungus. This is the moment the fungus kills the ant and the fruit begins to grow.
Very pleased our cordyceps were grown on a substrate of grains!

PS

More mushroom recipes on our mushroom page.

Salad of Cordyceps ©cadwu
Fresh Cordyceps ©cadwu
Cordyceps as a side dish ©cadwu

Girolle Omelette

26 September 2024

Friday morning, beginning of September, we go shopping at the organic street market in the beautiful city of Haarlem. We want to buy fruit and vegetables, cheese and obviously mushrooms. The season just started but already the stall offers lobster mushrooms, truffle, chicken of the wood, mai take, trompette de la mort, cèpes and girolles, also the grey (grise) and the yellow ones (jaune). They look perfect and we decide to buy 150 grams. Greyish cap, bright yellow stem, perfect with an omelette. We cross the street and buy extremely old goat cheese, one that matured for 2 to 3 years. Its taste is full of umami, a bit spicy and makes us think of Roquefort. It will be perfect with the aromas and flavours of the girolle jaune.

Wine pairing

The fried girolle comes with an aroma that will make you think of a forest in autumn. Its taste is complex and nutty. The rich egg in combination with the grated old cheese made us decide to drink a glass of Flor de la Mar, barrel aged Chardonnay, produced by Casa Ermelinda Freitas in Portugal. The wine aged for 4 months in barrels made of American oak. It is medium bodied, nicely oaked and comes with hints of citrus and caramel. In general, you’re looking for a lightly oaked chardonnay, balanced, fresh, not too complex.

What You Need
  • 150 grams of Girolle (Jaune)
  • 2 Organic Eggs (preferably Demeter)
  • Very Old Goat Cheese
  • Garlic Clove
  • Olive oil
  • Butter
  • Black Pepper
What You Do

Whisk the eggs together. Warm a small non-stick pan, add some butter and make sure the pan is warm through and through. Add the mixture and leave on low heat until the omelette is baveuse. In the meantime, clean the mushrooms. Perhaps you need to cut off some of the stem. Slice the mushrooms lengthwise in halve. The stem is hollow and may contain sand or other bits of the forest floor. Quickly fry the mushrooms in olive oil. Grate some garlic and add to the mushrooms. Time to plate up: the omelette, fresh black pepper, the mushrooms and some grated goat cheese, not too much, it can be overpowering.

PS

More mushroom recipes on our mushroom page.

Girolle Omelette ©cadwu
Girolle Jaune ©cadwu
Very Old Goat Cheese ©cadwu

Shiitake Salad

8 August 2024

We love mushrooms and are always keen to explore new recipes and ideas. This recipe for a salad is very much about the nutty flavour and the moist texture of the shiitake. An easy to make and delicious, aromatic salad with lots of umami and citrus.
We used Grains of Paradise (also known as Maniguette or Awisa). This West African spice was introduced in Europe in the 14th or 15th century as a substitute for black pepper. We like its peppery, citrusy flavour.

Wine Pairing

The fish sauce brings briny, caramel-like flavours with obviously some fishiness. The cilantro is very present with notes of citrus and pepper. The result is an aromatic, umami rich salad, best enjoyed with a glass of Pinot Blanc. We decided to open a bottle produced by Dr. Loosen. The winery was founded over 200 years ago and is well known for its Riesling and other excellent wines from the German Mosel region. In general, you’re looking for a white wine that is fruity and easy to drink, with gently acidity and some minerality.

What You Need
  • 150 grams of Shiitake
  • 2 cloves of Garlic
  • Olive Oil
  • Rice Vinegar
  • Thai Fish Sauce
  • Grains Of Paradise (Maniguette) or Black Pepper and Lemon Juice
  • Cilantro (Coriander)
  • Smoked Breast of Duck
What You Do

Remove the stems of the shiitake (they are chewy and fibrous). If necessary, clean the caps with kitchen paper. Slice. Finely chop the garlic. Warm a heave iron skillet, add olive oil and gently fry the shiitake. After a few minutes add the garlic. Keep on medium/low heat for a few minutes. Combine olive oil, rice vinegar and fish sauce. Ground grains of paradise and add to the dressing. The grains of paradise can be replaced with freshly grounded black pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Taste the dressing and adjust. Add the shiitake to the dressing and mix. Allow to cool somewhat. Add a generous amount of chopped cilantro. Mix again. Garnish with slices of smoked duck breast.

PS

More mushroom recipes on our mushroom page.

Shiitake Salad ©cadwu
Grains of Paradise (seed pods) ©cadwu
Shiitake ©Sharon Mollerus

Salad with Truffle and Asparagus

27 June 2024

Sometimes a dish is all about seasonal products, for instance the combination of white asparagus, morels and wild garlic. Sometimes it’s about a winning combination, for instance truffle and potato, or truffle and egg. This dish has a bit of both aspects because this year the end of the Dutch white asparagus season coincides with the beginning of the summer truffle season. And since both combine very well with egg, why not make an extravagant salad?

Wine Pairing

The salad has a velvety, rich mouthfeel. You will taste subtle truffle, some bitterness and sweetness of the asparagus and a hint of acidity thanks to the mayonnaise. The salad will combine very well with a Chardonnay with subtle oak. We enjoyed our salad with a glass of Mâcon-Bussières, produced by Thierry Drouin. The white wine is made from 100% chardonnay grapes and comes with a touch of oak, aromas of apple and citrus and a rich flavour with hints of toast and butter. An excellent wine and a perfect accompaniment of the salad.

What You Need
  • 3 Eggs
  • 12 Asparagus (tips only)
  • (home-made) Mayonnaise
  • 30 grams of Summer Truffle
  • 1 or 2 teaspoons of Excellent White Truffle Oil
  • White Pepper
What You Do

Cook or steam the eggs until slightly runny. We steamed the eggs for 9 minutes. Peel and leave to cool. Steam the tips of the asparagus for 9 minutes. No need to peel them. Leave to cool. Mix two tablespoons of mayonnaise with one or two teaspoons of truffle oil. Roughly chop the eggs and crunch the truffle. Gently combine the asparagus tips, the truffle, the eggs and some white pepper with the mayonnaise. Transfer to the refrigerator for one or two hours.

Salad with Truffle and Asparagus ©cadwu
Salad with Truffle and Asparagus ©cadwu

Mushroom Salad

2 May 2024

White Button Mushrooms and Cremini can be eaten raw, but we think they are tastier when fried or marinated, which is exactly what we do for this salad. A tasty accompaniment that will bring umami and depth to your dish. We combined the salad with carrots prepared in butter, lemon and lamb chops. The meat was fried in olive oil and seasoned with chopped thyme and black pepper. A delicious and light combination.

Wine Pairing

The salad comes with some acidity, but not too much. The main aspects in the dish are the sweetness and the velvety coating of the carrots, the aromatic lemon and thyme, the deepness of the salad and the richness of the lamb. We decided to open a bottle of Macon, a red wine from East-Central France. The region is well known for its white wines, Pouilly-Fuissé for instance. Most white wines in this region are made from Chardonnay grapes. This red wine is made from Gamay grapes. The wine has a beautiful ruby red colour, and it comes with aromas of black cherries and strawberries. A balanced wine with a touch of spiciness and nice tannins. Not too difficult and great with the various aspects of the dish. In general, we would suggest a red wine with fruit, freshness and character but not too complex. 

What You Need
  • 250 grams of Button Mushrooms or Cremini
  • Olive Oil
  • White Wine Vinegar
  • Parsley
  • Garlic Clove
  • Black Pepper
What You Do

Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper. Slice the mushrooms, heat a heavy iron skillet and fry the mushrooms for a few minutes. Leave to cool. Combine excellent olive oil and white wine vinegar. Chop some parsley. Finely chop a garlic clove. Combine the mushrooms, the dressing, the parsley and the garlic. Add some black pepper. Leave in your refrigerator for 24 hours. Feel free to stir a few times.

Mushroom Salad ©cadwu
Mushroom Salad ©cadwu

Chicken with Morels

1 March 2024

A few weeks ago we bought the first fresh morels of the season. They looked beautiful but unfortunately, they were very bland. Not the typical pancake, buttery taste, not the intriguing aroma. Pity, but worth a try.
This week we bought some great looking dried morels at our favourite epicerie. Dried morels are as tasty as fresh morels, which makes them very different from all other mushrooms. Dried cèpes are such a disappointment. We bought 15 grams and talked about preparing veal with morels and madeira. Monsieur Max, who runs the epicerie, mentioned he preferred to combine them with chicken. Great idea, we said, let’s do that.

The dish relies on the quality of the chicken, the morels and the white wine. Ideally this is Vin Jaune, a wine produced in the Jura in the far east of France and made from Savagnin grapes. This wine is often compared to Fino Sherry, but we think it has more character and length. It also not fortified, so no alcohol was added.
We served the chicken and morels with fried oca. A combination that worked very well, because the oca brought freshness to the dish. Perhaps its oxalic acid?

Wine Pairing

We opened a bottle of Arbois Savagnin 2018. This complex, white wine is made from the same Savagnin grape and is also produced in the Jura. It comes with aromas that will make you think of nuts, curry and even umami. When tasting it, you may think the wine is off, given it is slightly oxidized. In this case it’s a good thing. Enjoy the savoury, nutty taste of the wine in combination with the various flavours in the dish.

What You Need
  • 3 organic Chicken Thighs
  • Butter 
  • 1 Shallot 
  • 15 grams dried Morels
  • 50 ml Arbois Wine
  • 50 ml Double Cream
  • 1 Egg Yolk
What You Do

Check if the morels are clean. If not, use a brush to clean them or rinse with water. Soak the morels in fairly warm water for at least 30 minutes, depending on the quality. In the meantime, finely slice the shallot lengthways. Pat the chicken thighs dry and halve. Fry the thighs in butter until golden brown, perhaps 4 minutes. Set aside and cover with aluminium foil. Fry the shallot in the remaining butter on low heat for a few minutes. Drain the morels, pat dry with kitchen paper and halve lengthways. Keep the soaking water. Add the morels and combine. Leave on low heat for a few minutes. Add the wine and leave to reduce by half. Add some morel juice and reduce. Add cream and allow to warm through and through. Allow to simmer for a few minutes, add the chicken. Leave on low heat until the chicken is done, perhaps 15 minutes. Now it’s time to taste the sauce and see if you have enough. Happy? Beat one egg yolk. Slowly add the mixture from the pan to the egg yolk (this is called ‘marrying the sauce’). Then transfer the mixture to the pan. Warm carefully, otherwise it will split. To serve, place the chicken pieces on a warm plate with some morels on top. Cover with the rich, aromatic sauce.

Chicken with Morels ©cadwu
Fresh Morels © cadwu

Your Favourites in 2023

4 January 2024

Happy New Year! Let’s begin the new year with the 2023 highlights. Your favorite post was No-Knead Bread, We have been baking our own bread for several years, based on the method of no-knead bread (see Jim Lahey’s book My Bread for more detail) and using the ingredients (Blue Poppy Seeds, Linseed) of the French Talmière. The result is delicious!

Another very popular post is the one showing you how to make Kimizu. This is a classic, golden sauce from Japan, made with Egg Yolks, Rice Vinegar, Water and Mirin. We also have a version with Tarragon, let’s say the Béarnaise version of Kimizu. The recipes for Kimizu and Kimizu with Tarragon continue to be very popular. Although this is a classic sauce, we use a microwave to prepare it. An easy and very effective way of managing temperature and consistency.

We love mushrooms. Cultivated ones, like Shiitake, Oyster Mushrooms, Enoki and Champignons de Paris and seasonal ones, such as Morels, St. George’s mushroom, and Caesar’s Mushroom. One of the most popular posts is about Cèpes à la Bordelaise. You can also use more available mushrooms for this great combination. Always a pleasure to serve, with eggs, with meat, with more present fish.
Last year we had lots of Bay Boletes, which was such a pleasure. It’s a fairly common mushroom, as tasty as Cèpes, but much more affordable.

And finally The Queen’s Soup. We didn’t expect too much of this post, but the soup turns out to be very popular.

We were of course very pleased and honored to receive an award for our Pear and Almond pie in the Great Bloggers’ Bake Off.

Let’s start cooking!

Your Favourites in 2023 ©cadwu
Your Favourites in 2023 ©cadwu

Pork with Enoki

21 December 2023

It’s nearly the end of the mushroom season in Europe. It’s hard to find chanterelle (girolle), and nearly impossible to buy fresh cèpes. The black winter truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is an exception. It’s available until March, but the price may be prohibitive. Better to focus on cultivated mushrooms, such as enoki, available at your local Asian supermarket. A delicious mushroom with a pleasant texture and aroma. Its flavour is mild, a bit sweet and fruity. You can use it raw in a salad, in a soup or combine it with soba noodles. A few weeks ago, we wrote about an omelette with enoki and a light soy sauce. The result is a lovely sweet, rich and intriguing dish.
Combining enoki with pork is also a great idea. Feel free to adjust the recipe and make the sauce spicier or sweeter or thicker. The result will be tasty given all three elements in the dish bring some kind of sweetness.

Wine Pairing

You could emphasize the Asian influence by serving a glass of Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chenin Blanc or perhaps Soave. In general you’re looking for a light or medium bodied, unoaked, dry white wine with nice acidity. Benefits are minerality and florality. A glass of Côtes de Provence rosé will also be a good choice.
If you want to focus on the flavours of the pork, we suggest a glass of Beaujolais or a glass of wine made with Grenache (France) or Garnacha (Spain) grapes.

What You Need

  • Organic Pork Tenderloin
  • 100 grams of (Golden) Enoki
  • Soy Sauce
  • Light Soy Sauce (we used Tentsuyu)
  • Stock
  • Oyster Sauce
  • Black Bean Sauce (optional)
  • Red Chili Paste (optional)
  • Olive Oil

What You Do

Fry the pork in olive oil until pink. Turn on a regular basis. Remove the stem (bottom) of the enoki. Fry in olive oil for maximum one minute. Add some (vegetable stock), soy sauce, oyster sauce, black bean sauce and red chili paste and create a not overly sweet, intense sauce. We like some spiciness, hence the chili paste. Serve the meat on top of the enoki mixture.