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.

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A Delicious Chinese Chicken Salad

By Sandy Hu

Congratulations to Blake S. from Fort Myers FL who won our Special Fork Kerrygold sweepstakes! Thanks to all who participated.

Iceberg lettuce gets no respect. In my first public relations job, I represented America’s mainstay salad green, and even then it was losing ground to sexier choices like arugula and darker, more nutritious lettuce options like butter and romaine.

With so many leafy greens today, iceberg may seem like an anomaly. But nothing beats a crisp wedge of iceberg drizzled with blue cheese dressing. And it’s still a great partner for a BLT or a burger.

Iceberg lettuce is so mild as to be almost flavorless, but the crisp and crunchy texture of a well-chilled head is incomparable. I learned the trick of preparing iceberg lettuce on the job. The secret is to core, rinse and drain, then refrigerate.

Crisp up a head of iceberg lettuce to make this Chinese Chicken Salad. You could use romaine or napa cabbage, but I still like iceberg for this one.

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Bata Yaki with Ponzu Sauce – an Easy way to Entertain

By Sandy Hu

Until Sunday night, Special Fork is holding a sweepstakes, giving away a prize package of a year’s supply of delicious Kerrygold Butter and cheeses, imported from Ireland, courtesy of Kerrygold! It’s easy to enter the sweepstakes. Our recipe below is a novel – and scrumptious – way to use Kerrygold Butter.

A one-skillet meal cooked at the table is an easy way to entertain a few friends. If you don’t have an electric skillet, gather your guests in the kitchen and cook while you chat.

“Bata” is the Japanese word for butter, and “yaki” describes cooking on direct heat. This recipe calls for ½ cup of butter, which may seem like a lot, but remember there will be butter left in the pan and in the serving dish so all of it isn’t consumed, unless you choose to.

Since butter is a key component of this dish, be sure to use a high-quality butter, such as Irish butter, for the best flavor. The ponzu sauce, a combination of soy sauce and citrus juices, adds a fresh counterpoint to this rich dish.

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Deviled Eggs for Breakfast

By Marilyn Hunter

Nicky has always loved hard-boiled eggs or “boilers” as we call them in our house. His favorite part is the bright yellow yolk, while Benny eats all the white and leaves the “yellow” for his brother. In a never-ending quest to sleep just a little later in the morning, I decided to start deviling boilers at night, so breakfast is now both a novelty and a snap.

Sometimes well-laid plans come together…deviled eggs are the boys’ new favorite breakfast. Two deviled eggs (one whole egg) are plenty for each kid, along with their regular serving of fruit and ice water.

This method for hard-boiling the eggs belongs to Andrew. He’s done it this way for years and swears that 12 minutes will yield a runny yolk and 14 minutes will create the unwanted gray line around the yolk. He swears that 13 minutes is pure perfection. Being married to a chef makes for odd kitchen debates.

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Sweets in One or Two Bites

By Lori Powell

During the week, I mostly focus on the savory foods such as what to have for the day’s three meals: breakfast lunch and dinner. I am lucky enough not to have a severe sweet tooth but do on occasion crave a sweet bite of something which is usually satisfied by fruit or a bite of chocolate.

I love to bake but living alone, that can be a dangerous thing to have baked goods sitting around, like leftover chocolate cake, cookies, pies or tarts. If I had any of that hanging around, I might develop a sweet hankering.

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