Broughton Quarterly - Spring 2008 - (Page 31)

While most people see a pile of wet leaves as a pile of wet leaves, trained mushroom hunters spy a potential goldmine Swimming in candy caps CaNDY CaP muSHROOm CRème BRuLee (serves ) Recipe courtesy of Café Beaujolais, Mendocino 707.937.5614, www.CafeBeaujolais.com THe fIxIN’S 10 Egg Yolks 1 cup Brown Sugar 3 cups Half & Half 1 teaspoon Vanilla ½ cup Dried Candy Cap Mushrooms meTHOD Preheat oven to 300º Mince candy cap mushrooms very fine by hand or in a food processor. In a small sauce pan, mix together the half & half, vanilla, and mushrooms and let sit 15–30 min. In a med. size metal bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar. Bring the half & half mixture just to a boil, and while whisking the yolks slowly, add the hot half & half mixture. Now pour into oz. ramekins and place in a hot water bath (13” x 9” pan with hot water ½ way up the sides of the ramekins) and bake covered with foil for about 5-50 min. until set but not scrambled. Refrigerate until set or overnight. To serve, sprinkle brown sugar on top of the cold custard and caramelize with a torch to form a crisp candy crust. a pad of paper in the other. The entrepreneur runs his thriving business without a computer— which means no Internet, software spreadsheets, computerized invoices, or email. His cell phone is the most high-tech aspect of his corporate arsenal. For this tireless advocate, ‘shrooms are not just a business, but, if there is such a thing, a way of life. An avid reader of mushroom biology and related books, he consumes mushroom-based vitamin capsules daily. He cooks and eats some form of mushroom dish as often as he can, be it an omelet with a buttery chanterelle or a pasta with the seafood flair of the oyster mushroom. In his spare time, he gives workshops at cooking schools and restaurants. Eric is convinced that the fungi kingdom holds the keys to nutrition, health, and vitality. “Research is always going on,” he says. “Scientists are just beginning to confirm mushrooms’ medicinal value, but the Chinese and Japanese have known about their value for years.” Today, Eric is convinced that mushrooms were his destiny—and here’s why: As a young man back in 1969, right before he went to serve in the military and before he fell in love with this culinary marvel, his mother gave him a denim shirt as a parting gift. When he tells this story to class admirers, many “oohs” and “aahs” and even tears are shed as he holds up the back of the 40-year-old shirt to reveal, (what else?) a colorful, hand-embroidered design of a family Q of mushrooms. CHaNTeReLLe muSHROOm TaRTLeTS (makes 2 tartlets) Recipe courtesy of Blue Wing Saloon & Café, Upper Lake 707.275.2233, www.BlueWingSaloon.com THe fIxIN’S: TaRTLeTS 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp. salt 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled, 1/2-inch pieces 5 tbsp. (or more) ice water 2 mini muffin pans 1/ cup Parmesan cheese, grated meTHOD In processor, combine dry ingredients; add butter and pulse until coarse meal forms; add ice water. Form dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic and chill 2 hours. Roll out tartlet dough to 1/8-inch thickness; cut 2 (2-1/2-inch) rounds; press into muffin pans; pierce with a fork; chill 2 hours. Bake tartlets at 00° for 12 to 1 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon 1 tbsp. chanterelle mushroom filling (below) into each tartlet, sprinkle with cheese and serve. THe fIxIN’S: CHaNTeReLLe muSHROOm fILLING 3 tbsp. butter 1 cup leeks, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced cups mushrooms, chopped 2 tbsp. brandy or dry sherry Salt and pepper to taste meTHOD In skillet over med-hi heat, sauté leeks, garlic, and chanterelles in butter until tender; add brandy, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute; cool. www.BroughtonQuarterly.com 31 http://www.CafeBeaujolais.com http://www.BlueWingSaloon.com http://www.BroughtonQuarterly.com

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Broughton Quarterly - Spring 2008 Contents Contributors Plugged In Notes Destination 1000 Words Calendar Wine & Cuisine Of Gods and Monkeys Santa Monica Beach Chasing the Rain Donald Trump Marketplace Spotlight

Broughton Quarterly - Spring 2008

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