Taming the Taste for Wild Mushrooms

By Katie Barreira

Among foodies, foraging has become fashionable and wild mushrooms, from the enokis of Brooklyn to the candy caps of Mendocino, are being hunted across America and beyond.

Restaurant chefs have their wild mushroom dealers, who deliver the forest’s most prized fungi; any Boston area insider will know Ben, “the mushroom man.” And in Manhattan, chefs trust “truffle king” John Magazino to supply them with the white gold of mushrooms.

I was lucky enough to tag along with Magazino on one of his drops and had a chance to sample the merchandise. The buyer, an excellent New York City chef, whipped up a pan of creamy scrambled eggs and then, from his breast pocket, John produced a pungent, golf-ball-sized nugget. We shaved the white truffle over our eggs at will. It was a ridiculously decadent experience that I’m not sure I’ll ever get to recreate. But I loved the combination of eggs and truffles, so at least had to try and mimic the flavors at home.

Somewhere between the prized and pricey wild mushrooms and the ordinary button variety there is Mycopia. These gourmet, organic mushrooms are delightfully exotic, wonderfully flavorful and only about eight bucks for a half-pound. My favorite is the Chef’s Sampler, which features four different varieties. When paired with some Vacherinn Friborgeois, the original Swiss fondue cheese, which develops an uber-earthy, truffle-like flavor as it ages, these store-bought fungi provide an everyday solution to my craving for the extraordinary.

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Mushroom and Egg Soft Tacos
Serves 4

4 slices bacon
6 ounces mixed mushrooms, (such as Mycopia Chef’s Sampler or Tri-mix Medley) baby mushroom clusters, separated into individual heads and larger mushrooms, typically trumpets, thinly sliced
1 large shallot, chopped
Four 6-inch corn tortillas
2 teaspoons butter
8 large eggs, whisked
2 cups watercress leaves
3 ounces Vacherin, crumbled (or shredded Gruyere cheese)

1. In a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until well crisped, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels; cool and crumble. Remove all but about 2 teaspoons of bacon fat from the pan.
2. Return the pan to medium-high heat; add the mushrooms to bacon fat and cook until softened and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add shallots and cook 2 minutes more; transfer mixture to a plate.
3. Wipe out the pan, then, working one at a time, lightly toast the tortillas on a single side. Add the butter to the pan and scrambled the eggs. Top the tortillas with watercress, eggs, mushroom mixture and cheese.

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Comments

[MJ Reiter]

This recipe looks so good my mouth is watering. It will be on my list to try. Thanks so much!