by Anita Rafael
Foraging through the forests for wild mushrooms a true folk art, and in many cases, it has been proven to be a deadly one, at that. Stick to what you know – here is a mini-guide to everyone’s favorite market varieties along with a few cook’s tips about mushrooms.
The first book in English dedicated entirely to growing mushrooms for fine dining is likely to be the one published in 1779 by Londoner John Abercrombie. His key advice for “for producing this Desirable Plant in Perfection and Plenty” is to know where to get the best horse manure. Perfect dung, rich with mushroom spores, according to Abercrombie, comes from grain-fed carriage horses and should be collected fresh, first thing in the morning at the stables – which in his pre-automotive day, were on just about every block of cities such as old London.
Abercrombie’s complicated instructions on how to properly prime the manure so that a healthy, abundant crop of delectable mushrooms will magically appear out of a big pile of muck are detailed enough to thoroughly discourage the amateur gardener from even trying to grow them and, to tell you the truth, his descriptions of handling all that ripe horse manure can turn the taste buds of a gourmet palate from wanting to eat another mushroom ever.
The first book in English dedicated entirely to growing mushrooms for fine dining is likely to be the one published in 1779 by Londoner John Abercrombie. His key advice for “for producing this Desirable Plant in Perfection and Plenty” is to know where to get the best horse manure. Perfect dung, rich with mushroom spores, according to Abercrombie, comes from grain-fed carriage horses and should be collected fresh, first thing in the morning at the stables – which in his pre-automotive day, were on just about every block of cities such as old London.
Abercrombie’s complicated instructions on how to properly prime the manure so that a healthy, abundant crop of delectable mushrooms will magically appear out of a big pile of muck are detailed enough to thoroughly discourage the amateur gardener from even trying to grow them and, to tell you the truth, his descriptions of handling all that ripe horse manure can turn the taste buds of a gourmet palate from wanting to eat another mushroom ever.
That bit of historical horticulture should make all mushroom-eaters exceptionally happy that we only have to go as far as the tidy produce aisle of our local market to look for the world’s best mushrooms. Today’s farmers use a medium made from a variety of organic materials to grow their crop: the compost is scientifically formulated with a mix of straw, corn cobs, cotton seed, cocoa seed hulls, gypsum and nitrogen supplements. Most crops are grown and harvested on roughly a four-month cycle, year-round.
The most popular varieties are: white (Agaricus), portabella, crimini, shiitake, maitakes, morel, oyster, chanterelle, enoki and porcini. Chef John Bach-Sorensen, who was once the chef at the Danish embassy in London, England, and is the new owner of Newport’s La Petite Auberge Restaurant, says, “Not all mushrooms are interchangeable in recipes.” He is citing good science when says the minerals in the earth where wild mushrooms grow affect the flavors, just as the “terroir” where grapes are grown determines the taste of fine wines. Bach-Sorensen says that the typical cook’s biggest sin when it comes to mushrooms is blending too many varieties in one dish.Delicious And Deadly?Is there a hardy little clump of delicious-looking cinnamon-colored mushrooms constantly sprouting up by the rotting tree stump in your backyard? Or a fat round “tree ear” fungus near the back of the woodpile? They could be edible, or else fatal. A few varieties of wild mushrooms are highly toxic and look very similar to edible species. The advice from the American Association of Poison Control Centers in Washington, D.C. is not to forage for wild mushrooms unless you are, in fact, a trained mycologist.
“You have to know exactly which taste and texture you are looking for in the recipe you are preparing,” says Bach-Sorenson, “If you mix them all up, or substitute a different mushroom, you have an entirely different dish.” The wild and cultivated mushrooms he orders for his escargot, crème and cepes appetizer and his beef bourguignon entree at La Petite come from as far away as Poland, Argentina and Oregon, or from as nearby as Tiverton, Rhode Island.
To satisfy the sophisticated requests of their upper-crust clients, the chefs at Blackstone Catering of Middletown have come up with their own time-tested blend of mushrooms that they use in various recipes. Executive Chef Joe Melanson, who holds his Masters Degree from Johnson & Whales University, says that when he is asked to make standard stuffed chicken breasts more exciting, he reaches for mushrooms to make a gourmet filling. “I combine portabella and crimini for their intense flavors,” he says, “then add oyster mushrooms for their firm texture.” He leaks a little known mushroom fact: Portabellas are really just a larger version of crimini mushrooms and so pairing the two does not confuse the flavors in the recipe, but makes a better visual presentation.Hippocrates used mushrooms in medicinal preparations in the 5th century BC, however he left no details of which ones best cured various ailments. Shiitake mushrooms, which have been cultivated in Asia for more than 2,000 years, contain a compound called lentinan and are being used as a cancer treatment in
Japan.
Melanson’s tips for at-home chefs are, first, always use a very hot pan when sautéing mushrooms to avoid a limp, soggy result, and, second, be sure that the mushrooms are not wet, or else they will steam cook. He says, “Here’s the technique. High heat, short cooking time. You want them to nearly sear in the heat.”
Like everyone, Melanson is impressed by the number of mushroom varieties that are available in any good market, and encourages cooks not to be afraid to experiment until they learn how each one is different. He says, “At one time the supermarkets only had white button mushrooms, now there are more kinds on the shelf than ever before.” Prior to the days of modern refrigeration, fall and early winter months were considered the prime “mushroom market” because cooler, dryer weather meant the mushrooms could be shipped and stored with less spoilage. Thanks to internet technologies and nearly instantaneous global transportation, Erdei szömörcsög fungus that grow wild in the Hungarian woods and white button mushrooms that are farm-raised in California or Pennsylvania (the top 2 U.S. states for commercial production) can be on our dinner tables within hours after harvest.
Some biologists have thrilled the world’s true fungus gourmets to no end by estimating that there may be as many one and a half million different kinds of mushrooms, of which only about 80,00 have been identified, and even fewer actually eaten.
Cook’s Tips
A few useful tips from the mushroom experts on choosing and handling fresh mushrooms are worth noting. When properly chilled, most varieties keep about 5 to 7 days, unsliced, and others, such as whole shitakes, morels and enokis keep as long as 2 weeks. A distinctly earthy aroma is a positive sign of freshness in mushrooms, not spoilage.
- Inspect the mushrooms that you are buying and avoid any with bruises or soft spots.
- Mature mushrooms have slightly open caps and exposed gill tissue.
- Mushrooms spoil faster in Ziploc® bags and Tupperware® containers, so leave them in their original containers.
- Keep mushrooms about 34-35 degrees F. for optimum shelf life, but be aware that mushrooms can absorb strong odors from other foods placed near them in the fridge.
- There is no need to peel mushrooms, but you can slightly pare the stem ends if they are dried out or tough.
- Just before you are ready to use them, mushrooms can be wiped with a damp paper towel or given a quick dip in cool water and gently shaken dry. Some cooks dissolve a spoonful of flour (an ultra-mild abrasive) in water and clean the mushrooms one by one with a soft brush.
Taster's Guide To Mushrooms
White mushrooms are mild but cooking intensifies their woodsy flavor. Mushrooms with open veils and darkened caps develop an even richer taste.
Crimini mushrooms come from the same family as whites, but taste earthier.
Portabella mushrooms are larger crimini mushrooms and have a firm meat-like texture and rich flavor.
Shiitake mushrooms are also known as Oak, Chinese or Black Forest mushrooms. When cooked, Shiitake mushrooms have a wild flavor with a meaty texture.
Maitake mushrooms have a distinctive woodsy aroma that is drawn out by cooking.
Chantarelle mushrooms have a nutty flavor and delicate texture.
Oyster mushrooms have a delicate, mild flavor and velvety texture; some people say they have a faint oyster-like taste.
Enoki mushrooms have a mild, almost fruity flavor with a slight crunchy texture.
Morel mushrooms have a subtle nut-like flavor and deep woodsy fragrance.
Porcini mushrooms, also called cepes, have a smooth, meaty texture and are pungent.
