Рецепт Morel Mushrooms in Cream on Brioche
Last week I went to see my friends Jane and
John at The East End Mushroom Company.
Since the last time I saw them, they have been growing by leaps and
bounds. They now sell 13 varieties of
mushrooms at their state-of-the-art facility on Cox Lane in Cutchogue. They’ve gone from growing Shiitakes, Miatakes
and Oyster Mushrooms to carrying a whole collection including such delicacies
as White/Brown Beech, Velvet Pioppini and King Oyster varieties along with more
familiar Criminis and Portobellos. The mushroom that caught my eye on this visit was the Morel. (You
can keep abreast with all the couple has to offer by liking their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheEastEndMushroomCompany?fref=ts)
Morels
are highly prized with a unique honeycomb look. What really sets them apart is
their earthy, nutty flavor, which is pretty well irresistible to any mushroom
lover. They are foraged in the Midwestern
United States and so coveted that families there keep their favorite locations
a secret. Morels only appear for a limited
time each year but thankfully the East End Mushroom Company ‘imported’ them
this year for local consumption.
Fresh or Dried, wash Morels carefully.
Out of season, one can rely on dried morels
imported from France and India. The
French ‘morilles’ are larger and more
uniform than their Indian counterparts and their flavor is more intense. But there's nothing wrong with the Indian imports. In both countries, morels are dried over wood fires, so
they differ from fresh morels having a somewhat smoky flavor. They are a perfectly good substitute for
those many months of the year when fresh morels are not available. I’ve included the instructions for using
dried Morels should you stumble upon this post out of season. Fresh or dried, Morels
must be washed carefully because their honeycomb heads hold sand and soil.
As I was sorting through recipes, several
parings appeared consistently. One was
the use of Madeira and the other was heavy cream. This combination seemed very seductive to me
so I tinkered with a recipe from Gourmet from 2001 and came up with this
wonderful dish. It is a perfect starter
or side dish to a great steak dinner.
The Brioche toast could have its crusts trimmed if you would prefer a
more polished presentation but I wanted every delicious crumb of the bread so I
left mine intact. Here is the recipe:
- Recipe for Morel Mushrooms in Cream on
- Brioche (Morilles à la Crème) adapted from Gourmet Magazine
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound fresh morels, trimmed, washed well, and patted
- dry
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Freshly ground white pepper
- 5 thin slices brioche or challah bread, crusts discarded,
- each slice cut into 4 triangles and toasted
1. Heat
cream in a small saucepan until hot.
2. Heat
butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam
subsides, then sauté morels, stirring frequently, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the Madeira and cook until it is absorbed into the morels. Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. Stir in hot cream and reduce
heat to low. Gently simmer, covered, stirring once, until morels are tender, 10
to 15 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper.
4. Arrange
5 toasts on each of 4 plates and spoon morels and sauce on top. Serve
immediately.
Cooks' note:
You can substitute 1 ounce small dried morels (1 1/3 cups) for the fresh. Soak
dried morels in 2 1/2 cups warm water until softened, 10 to 30 minutes. Lift
from soaking liquid, then rinse well and pat dry with paper towels. Pour
soaking liquid through a paper-towel–lined sieve into a bowl. Add 1/2 cup
soaking liquid to cream when heating (dried morels absorb more liquid than
fresh).