Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong

Today after many years I have learned what Lapsang Souchong tea is by the real definition. I purchased this tea from t-drunk at an exorbitant price i assume... jury still out on this purveyor. It is from the Tong Mu area of the Wuyi mountains. From what I have read, by definition this is where the first black (red) teas were produced and surely the origin of Lapsang Souchong.

                                         

It is a spring produced tea that is smoked over wet pine.                                                                                                                                       

Food Blogging Aesthetics...

Hi Honey... In this day and age of meticulous kitchen appearances and over the top culinary romanticism of the utmost degree, I present you with Chicken in the Style of Normandy via the sixth Floor Walkup! Please note the measuring instrument filled with Organic apple cider. In the right hand corner I've ingeniously place a very small item that lets my wife know that i did not "wing it" in the style of "where is wingman"
To capture such a picture, I had to be cognizant that I would be, at a later date, taking some flack of sorts about my preparation. And in its defense, arrange said items. The omission of potatoes was by choice. I have not included in this snapshot a panorama of a small moppet being diverted by toxic pieces of Chinese produced polyurethane, that would account for the overcooking of my apple pieces.

Hen of the Woods and Swiss Chard Tacos

This is a dish my wife loves to make at home with fresh tortillas. Though they are worth the effort to make, I would have a hard time convincing mushroom hunters to forgo an extra 30 minutes in the woods in exchange for a superior product.

The toppings include a simple salsa verde, some mexican cheese, and some onions pickled in lime juice.

Salsa Verde: In a blender mix                                                         Pickled Red Onion

Tomatillos                                 Thinly slice red onion
Lime juice                                 Place in a bowl of lime juice 30 min.
Cilantro
Garlic clove
Jalapeno
Salt!

  

Saute your hen of the wood mushrooms until crisp
Chop swiss chard and braise until tender. Let drain in a colander 30 minutes
Mix together and fill in a taco shell.
Top with crumbled feta, red onions, salsa, and some cilantro sprigs

Egg Blancmange with Chanterelles

This reipce from Jean-Francois Piege is really an easy technical feat that looks complex and difficult.  Rich egg yolk, chives, and chanterelles, you cant go wrong. Other mushrooms that would work well would include morel or lobsters. In his original recipe, he uses black truffle in the egg whites and garnish which is sublime classic combination. However, most of us are not privy to that sort of foraging and cash, so substitues can be made.

Start with "real" eggs. You''ll notice
the white is a big blob around the yolk, hugging it. This happens with very fresh eggs, and makes the whites stiffen better. Also use ONLY room temperature eggs.

 To the left is everthing for the eggs. They only take 4 minutes in the oven and everything can be prepared like this 30 minutes in advance.

1. Butter ringmolds (I lined mine with smoked ham, but not necessary)
2. 2 Eggs seperated
3. Chopped herbs

Whip room temperature egg whites and some salt just until they barely hold shape (soft peaks). Dont overwhip! Gently mix in chives.

Spoon some egg mixture into mold, and using the back of a spoon, make an indentation. Carefully place egg yolk on top, and cover with more egg whites to top of the rim. Using a back of a knife, smooth over top for a flat surface. Bake on a sheetpan for 4-5 minutes at 375.

The yolk will still be runny, but warm. When they come out of the oven, let them rest a second, and run a parring knife around inside to release.

Gently place in the center of the plate, and spoon some braised chanterelles and their juices around the outside. Garnish tops with a little chopped radish.

Morels with Ricotta and Sweet Pea Ravioli

  

        

Thai Oyster Mushrooms and Eggplant

Its hard for me to pare down ingredients in a typical Malay or Thai dish as I love them all....

I stuck to the ubiquitous rules of sour, sweet, salty, hot for this one.

Making the balance of these is the skill of this cuisine. By all means mix and match as you desire.

These gorgeous Turkish orange heriloom eggplant are a great substitute for the green and purple varieties you may often see. Small cultivated Oyster mushrooms lend a great texture contrat for the less rigid eggplant

This recipe has:

Oyster Mushrooms
Eggplant
Garlic
Thai Basil
Soy
Lime Juice
Sugar
Fish Sauce
Thai Chilies

Good prepared a couple days ahead if possible.

I use a LARGE amount of Thai basil.
Throw it in near the end

Wild Rice and Black Trumpets

My Mother in law from Minnesota makes great wild rice! Might have something do to with the fact that she adds her two favorite ingredients in copious amount right at the end (butter and salt). One thing I wont do is change family recipes! So I too will do the same at the end, and add just a few mushroom centric ingredients. Black trumpets, sage, and corn.

Wild Rice is one thing in this country that is a misnomer, even to the gourmands. There is not a store in NYC that sells real wild rice. They sell cultivated Canadian "Wild Rice" that is not similiar. The difference is not only in the flavor, the texture, but in the processing as well. 

The rice has a pronounced lake flavor. Sometimes it can be strong and overpowering. Most often it has a pleasant sweetness, with roasted notes. 

Its texture is really different than the black Canadian Rice. It is very fluffy and tender, taking much less cooking time of 15-20 minutes.

Real wild rice is finished with a traditional technique call parching. This process involves tossing the rice in a metal drum over a wood fire. The chaff (outside husk) is blown away leaving the lighter colored rice.  The grains are definitely not uniform, and sometimes at a cheaper rate for broken rice. I boil the rice with salt and chicken stock as Grandma Marilyn would do, and then steam it in the oven with onions, butter, and more salt.  

Wild Rice with Trumpets, Corn and Sage

1 Cup wild rice

Chicken stock

1 small diced onion

4 TB butter

1/2 cup Sauteed Trumpet mushrooms

1 Cup cooked sweet corn

10 fresh sage leaves chopped

1. Rinse rice in several changes of water

2. Cook covered in chicken stock until fluffy (15-20 minutes) and drain if necessary

3. In a small pan, melt butter and cooked diced onion slowly until translucent

4. Combine with remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper, and place in a butter casserole dish.

5. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

Black Trumpet Preparation

Like Morels, Black Trumpets are camoflauged so well with the forrest floor, its surprising and rewarding to find them.  They are easier to look for in terms of terrain, and they come back year after year in the same spot. Sometimes they flush twice a year weather permitting. 

Eventually you'll stumble upon some Craterellus patches that are so large, you'll get tired of picking them. You may even feel guilty leaving them behind. But you proceed on saying to yourself 'Just a couple more uphill'. Then upon returning home, you have to prepare them. Spending hours of backbreaking work may or may not force you to do this.  Fortunately, they do not take as long to cook, but must be washed and dried thorouhly, so this will make it a two step process. 

WASHING

To wash Craterellus, fill up a sink with warm water.   
     Next, add mushrooms and agitate vigorously.

     Wait a couple of minutes for the sediment to reach the bottom.

      Very gently using a strainer, scoop them from the top, and then the one that have settled lower. There may be some pine needles, or leaf debris that can be picked off the surface as well



Lastly, store the mushrooms overnight in a colander allowing them to dry out. They will k


          

COOKING

Pan Fried Boletes and Skate Wing with Lemon

Xanthaconium affine are a mild
tasting bolete.

A simple preparation for Boletes

 requires no more than some oil,

 lemon juice and parsley.

Almost all types of fish go well with 'Porcini' I decided to use skate because its traditionally prepared with brown butter and lemon. You can use roast cod, grilled striped bass, scallops, or an oily fish like salmon. Also, we are cooking the fish in the same style as the mushrooms, with a browned butter.

The acid of the lemon is what both brings out the flavor of the mushrooms, and tempers the richness of the fish. Boletes tend to absorb a good amount of oil as well, so adding lemon juice and parsley will add a brightness that is a good contrast to these and other mushrooms.

Start with a very hot saute pan, and add a couple of TBs canola or olive oil first and then a TB of butter to get the fat to brown. When the oil is brown, add the mushroom. Dont wait until you see any black bits, or throw out the oil and start over.  Place some quartered or halved boletes face down,salt and pepper,  and let cook several minutes to brown. Turn over and repeat on other side. Make sure that they are fully cooked through (I've had stomach upset in the past cooking large boletes too little). When complete and with the heat still on, add some lemon juice, and chopped parsley and cook for another half minute or so until the pan is dry. Adjust salt and pepper again.

Skate wing is very moist and sweet belonging to the ray family. It is a cheap and versatile product that should be filleted by your butcher. It lasts no more than a day or two before signs of ammonia are present in the odor.

Coat the fillets with Wondra flour.  Salt and pepper.

In a really hot skillet, some olive oil, and then an equal part of butter.

It should brown quickly. Add fillets and wait until the side is brown before flipping it.

When the second side is browned, squeeze some lemon juice all over top while in pan.

Deviled Eggs with Black Trumpets

I hate to mess with Mid-Western classics, but this one is colorful addition. Normally swapping out paprika for Black Trumpets might be a problematic pantry dilema for most folk, so try to think of these when the season is right. Your usual suspects should be present in the filling, including Hellmans mayo, Dijon mustard, a little minced onion or shallot AND sufficient salt and pepper. Talk about away that the Wisconsin relatives can really kill a good party plater!

Mince up some cooked black trumpets and mix them with the yolk mixture and reserve a little mound for the top. Add some chives or dill.

Ive had deviled eggs with truffle oil too, and to good effect if you into that sort of thing. Add some large salt flakes on top for something to bite into.

Black Trumpet, Onion and Goat Cheese Tarts.

Trumpets have that permeating earthiness that can be married to so many different food without getting lost in the shuffle. I love rich French tarts and salad greens. This classic pairing works primarily because of the acidity of the vinegar on the greens, and mushrooms are a phenomenal match with vinegar as well.

This tart is pretty is to make and assemble, and I know this based upon the fact that Emma was yelling and fussing in the twenty minutes I had to get this done.

1. First start by sweating some sliced onions with some oil and thyme.
2. Cook until very soft, or brown slightly if desired.
3.  Saute some Black Trumpets and set aside.
4. Set up some your Phylo dough station with some melted butter and a pastry brush.
5. Lightly butter a whole sheet, and gently top with another sheet, pressing down gently when finished. 
6. Repeat so you have four layers.
7. Cut out into rounds that are one inch bigger than your molds.

8. Put rounds gently inside tart molds, on a lined tray.

9. Start by placing a small amount of goat cheese, some stewed onion, then mushrooms, and finally

   a couple more dabs of goat cheese on the top

10. Bake at 400 degrees for about 8-10 minutes until crispy. 

Black Stainer. What does good edible mean?

  In many a field guide, the black staining polypore Meripilus sumstenii (formerly Meripilus giganteus) has been listed as not only an edible, but a good edible.  Granted taste is subjective, and its not the problem of taste I have with this polypore. Its got a robust dark flavor, with some bitterness and sourness. Unique and pleasing, yet the texture is where it recieves low grades and puts into question its edibility.
     No matter how fresh I pick and prepare, there is a toughness that gets in the way of enjoyability. Some persons say to only use the wee plump tips of the leaves, as I personally subscribe to for Laetiporus.  Unfortunately even doing this, you run into its fibrous and impenetrable structure.

  


 Ive tried cutting it across the grain as you would a tough cut of meat. Ive sauteed it, simmered it, and used both in succession. Stewed and pickled to no avail. Sous vide has been avoided. All tasted marvelous, but left me chewing just a little too long. My last failed revelation was to use a French technique of 'confit'. I submerged the mushroom in a vat of duck fat and slow cooked for several hours. What usually will break down hearty duck leg proteins, was no match for our invincible friend the black stainer. I was left with an unctous richly flavored fungus, that was a good workout for my molars.
    

Tub of Duck Fat that I keep stored in the freezer

Maybe since mushrooms inherently soft and forgiving by nature, Im judging this too harshly. If it were a hangar steak, I'd not balk one bit.