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Stuffed Mushrooms Florentine Great when you have 12 to 16 tasty specimens with shallow-bowl shaped caps, such as edible Agaricus species, shiitake, or shaggy parasol. by Rene Seltzer Agaricus arvensis. © scarletchapman (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 81232694) Method Prepare the Mushroom Caps Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking pan with a drizzle of the olive oil. Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a damp paper towel. Carefully remove the stems and set stems aside. Melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter. Brush or dip the mushroom caps in the melted butter to coat them, then place them upside-down (gills up) in the prepared baking pan. (Melt additional butter as needed for this step, depending on the size and quantity of your caps.) Prepare the Filling Chop the reserved mushroom stems small. Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. of butter with the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped stems and minced onion. Sauté until the mushroom stems have lost their water and the onions are limp (5 to 7 minutes). Stir in minced shallot and cook until translucent and fragrant (about 3 minutes). Make sure the spinach has been washed and squeezed very dry, and it to the skillet. Add the cooked meat (or veggie substitute), nutmeg, salt, and black pepper. Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes to warm and combine flavors. Remove from heat. Assemble and Serve Fill the caps with the spinach mixture equally, packing the filling down gently. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of the filling. Bake at 375°F until the mushroom caps are tender and the cheese on top is melted and golden brown (15 to 20 minutes). Transfer to an attractive serving platter and serve warm. Recipe contributed: March 2001 For stuffed mushrooms, you want bowl-like species with wide, thick caps hold the stuffing, such as horse mushroom, portobello, giant cypress Agaricus, shiitake, or shaggy parasol. If using shiitake caps, the stems might be too woody, so you could chop up some porcini, butter boletes, or blewits (ensure they're thoroughly cooked) to use in the stuffing. Objective: Appetizer Total Time: 45 minutes Yield: 12 to 16 stuffed caps Suggested Mushrooms: Blewit (Collybia nuda) Butter bolete (Butyriboletus persolidus) Giant cypress Agaricus (Agaricus lilaceps) Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Portobello/portabella, champignon, cremini, button (Agaricus bisporus) Shaggy parasol (Chlorophyllum brunneum) Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients 12 to 16 medium mushrooms 4 Tbsp (½ stick) butter, divided 1 to 1½ Tbsp. olive oil 1 to 1½ Tbsp minced onion 1 Tbsp minced shallot ¾ cup fresh spinach, cooked until just limp, pureed, and squeezed very dry (Optional) ½ cup pre-cooked and chopped chicken, turkey or pork* ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg ½ tsp salt ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper 4 to 6 Tbsp, Parmigiano, Asiago, or similar cheese, freshly grated * If you'd like to use a meat alternative, try chopped walnuts or pecans; diced tempeh; or perhaps brown or green lentils cooked al dente. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Yet Another Dose of Propaganda (April 1 2007) This issue of Duff was a lot of fun to put together, mostly because my collaborator (whose nom de plume just might be Mr. Fe₂O₃) did all the heavy lifting. All I had to do was laugh, and it wasn’t hard! We enjoyed doing it, and hope you have an even better time reading it. - Deb Bo Letos • April 1, 2007 Psilocybe cubensis. © Alan Rockefeller (from mushroomobserver.org) New Arora Book Coming Soon Mushrooms ReMystified - April 1 2007 Edition The long-awaited revision of David Arora’s masterful mushroom reference guide is about to hit local bookstores. In Mushrooms ReMystified , Arora has taken some dramatic steps toward making mushroom identification more accessible to the general public. Some readers might be in for a shock, though, as they learn of some of the book’s new features. “I took out all the confusing keys,” says the author, from his comfortable home on 100 acres in Anchor Bay, California, recognizing that most people just look at the pictures first anyway when they need to identify a mushroom. “And if it’s poisonous, I just call it a toadstool,” he says. In our first preview of the new book, we did notice that the Toadstools section is quite extensive. MRM includes color plates of Arora’s junco feeding station, a whole bear roasting on the hearth, and his favorite fish in the koi pond. Readers will truly enjoy Arora’s attempt at redefining fungal systematics. “Almost all the mushrooms in MDM are West Coast mushrooms with European species names. In MRM, I’ve reclassified and reorganized the genera,” says Arora. All 2,000 or so species now have a California flavor, starting with A garicus arorae , Amanita arorae , Boletus californicus , Cantharellus californicus , Russula arorae , and so on. Even with the publication of this new scientific tome, mainstream academia continues to reject Arora’s body of work until he has earned a “PhD” after his name. Colleagues have peppered UC Santa Cruz Professor Emerita Tanya Hafling with questions about Arora’s academic pursuits. She says he once aspired to study under Dr. Harry Theirs at SFSU, but he just wasn’t taken seriously because he had long hair and a beard, and he was from Santa Cruz. ( The Duff has learned that Arora often spends part of each day tackling online mycology courses through the University of Phoenix.) Mushrooms ReMystified , by David Arora. Three Speed Press, Mendocino, CA. 1,223 pages with 923 color plates, mostly of juncos. This colorful, leather-bound edition retails for only $126; exclusively available for one day only, on April 1, 2007. Long Distance Forays Abolished Nate Segraves, Minister of Long Distance Forays, says the FFSC will no longer hold so-called long distance forays. With gas prices already well over $3.00 per gallon, this might be a wise move. Henceforward, Seagraves will be known as Minister of Medium Distance Forays . “We’re just shrinking things up a bit so people don’t have to drive so far,” he says. “Just hunt in your own yard, like Henry Young,” he offered. Segraves chided members for wanting to go to faraway places like Eldorado county, where nobody ever finds many mushrooms anyway. Segraves hinted that if people want truly long distance forays, they should join NAMA. Some members have cried foul, though, and say they suspect that Nate simply wants to spend more time at home on the weekends with his new baby. Brown Wax Bags No Longer Available A serious problem has arisen in the Santa Cruz mushrooming community. The company that has made brown wax bags for over 100 years has gone out of business. In the future, FFSC members may be forced to use the less desirable opaque wax bags manufactured by Waxtex© Corporation. Some members have tried reusing their bags, but they’ve found that fungi like Suillus pungens and Hygrophorus eburneus make this responsible practice difficult to follow. One member, who has secretly stockpiled eight cases of the more popular and eco-friendly brown wax bags, refuses to share with others. He fears, rightly so, that if he were forced to carry Waxtex© bags in the field, he might be confused as a member of that mushroom group in San Francisco. Recipe Ingredients Questioned Our roving Duff reporter has learned that some of the supposed “wild mushrooms” in potluck items at a recent FFSC event were really store-bought mushrooms purchased in the New Leaf Community Market produce section. The fungal substitutions were initially uncovered by supersleuth Vernetta McGuire and confirmed via DNA analysis in the new mycology laboratory at UC Santa Cruz by Professor Hardly A. Clade. Minister of Culinary Events McGuire is very frustrated by this unethical development. “Button mushrooms in our food,” wailed McGuire. “That is not acceptable. Anybody can buy mushrooms,” she says. The guilty parties, who by the way are known to have vast stores of dried wild mushrooms at home, have been ordered to perform 500 hours of community service collecting real wild mushrooms for this year’s holiday dinner. It is hoped that they won’t retaliate by sneaking blue-staining mushrooms into their potluck items. Ministers Take Minister Thing Seriously Certain leaders of the FFSC have been seen wearing new white collars when attending meetings and shopping at Costco. “Just call me Pastor,” is the new watchword among elected officers. This habit began right after several FFSC “ministers” were spotted in a redwood grove outfitted in unusual mushroom-collecting garb: full length black dresses and black suits. Longtime member Phil Carpenter, who has the air of a Catholic priest, says he no longer has time for collecting mushrooms thanks to his burgeoning sideline making knives, but he does like the look and feel of the new collar. “Morels are overrated,” says Pastor Carpenter, “but morals are forever.” Short Distance Foray Minister Bob Sellers Some members say this demand goes a little far and will continue to call ministers by their first names. However, the FFSC bylaws clearly state that officers of the club are called ministers. “We feel this just makes things a little more formal,” says Pastor Bob Sellers. “Besides, we love the white collars.” Member’s Ingenious Mushroom Hunting Method A broom makes foraging more efficient... Last weekend, a foray participant developed a new method of searching for mushrooms. Instead of looking for mushrooms in the leaf litter and investigating the obvious “mushrumps,” as they’re known in mushperson lingo, she brought along a broom and literally swept her way through the forest. “A broom doubles as a walking stick,” says Ima Forager, “and the yellow handle makes it easy to find if you get distracted,” says Forager, who is known for being easily distracted. This ingenious new method of uncovering hidden fungi has spread like wildfire. CEO Bill White likes the idea so much, that he’s asked the ministers to approve a new Costco broom for each new and renewing member in 2007 as a way to increase mushroom collecting efficiency. New Club Offshoot: WFSC Shea Moss, raising a glass at a WFSC meeting Owing to the popularity of winemaking in the FFSC, a new auxiliary club has formed called the Wine Federation of Santa Cruz (WFSC). President Jerry Moss says the club will hold its meetings at the same time and location as regular meetings of the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz, so that the group’s members can “blend in.” WFSC members will only be identified by a secret handshake, a wink of the left eye, and their dark red tannin-stained tongues. Foray Participant Bonks Head “It was raining hard,” whined one of last weekend’s foray participants at Marshall Field. “I was all bundled up, I couldn’t see, and I banged my head on a tree branch,” said member A. Rita Viess, who normally uses a pseudonym instead of her real name. As a result of this incident and to reduce the potential for lawsuits, FFSC foray leaders will conduct pre-foray trips to clean up any low hanging branches. Foray leaders have also promised to stand by with extra umbrellas for members to carry in the woods. (You-know-who who moved up north carries an umbrella, too, and he rarely carries a collecting basket to keep his hands free for plucking boletes!) Salmon Declared Official Fish of the FFSC As part of negotiations to encourage Bill White to undertake another term as CEO, the FFSC ministers have voted to make salmon the official fish. Bill and Gerri are of course thrilled but not surprised by this action. "We eat salmon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so what's not to like?" says Gerri. "When you keep catching 30 plus pound fish, there's only so much room in the freezer." Plans are also underway to declare an official plant, and everybody's favorite so far is Toxicodendron diversilobum . The ministers tabled a motion to declare an official club mushroom, feeling that Clathrus ruber would be too controversial. Coprophylic Fungi Workshop As part of a series of beginner’s workshops, join presenter John Allen on April 1st for this immersion into the world of dung fungi. No reservations required. “Gazing at this wonderful symbiosis of mushroom and dung... Somehow I could feel their aura and I knew that they had been calling me from afar to come and visit them.” (Note: This is an actual quote from " Close Encounters of the Panaeolus Kind " by John W. Allen, taken wholly out of context.) Next month: Growing Funny Mushrooms in Glass Jars. FFSC Members Demand Common Names in Meetings In a move typical of the independent style of the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz, several members have circulated a petition to make common names the official language of mushroom hunters. “These speakers come in here and start with the pretty pictures, then blithely move right on to Latin. Who knows Latin, anyway? It’s a dead language,” said Minister of Propaganda Debra Johnson. “Just give the common names,” she said. “That’s all people remember anyway.” CEO Bill White asks, “What if the common name is something like “ Trompette de la Morte ?” We can’t just call them “black trumpets.” This move may cause some inter-club problems, however, and will be very controversial to implement. Richard Lyness, Minister of Programs, says that if this proposal becomes part of the bylaws, it might mean not sharing speakers with the other clubs, especially the Bay Area Mycological Society whose agenda is reputedly “more science-oriented.” Laugh Off Contest Winner Announced John Brown. Photo by Hugh Smith The Annual Laugh Off Contest at last month’s general meeting was quite a hoot! As you know, contestants are asked to give their best laugh, while looking in the microscope at divergent gill trama of an LBM. In the end, it all came down to two contestants: John Brown and Horst Kuhlmann. After almost an hour of deliberation, the judges selected a winner. Judge Diana Chase confessed privately that Horst’s laugh sounded more like a cough, and she just couldn’t vote for him over Brown’s more Santa Claus-like booming outbursts. The victor was awarded a pair of Levi© jeans. Brown took the microphone (as if he needed one) and thanked his parents for raising him. Holding his prize aloft, Brown said, “Hey, these things could keep my legs warm on those cold, rainy days in the woods.” Beginner’s Workshop: Poison Oak Identification Pacific Poison Oak Ever get a terrible rash on your hands and face (and elsewhere sometimes if you were foolish enough to pee in the woods) after a mushroom hunt? Here’s the perfect solution: an in-depth three hour session on how to identify Western Poison Oak ( Toxicodendron diversilobum or Rhus diversiloba ). You’ll learn fascinating tidbits like: Look! three leaves Poison oak is the most common allergy in the country Poison oak was discovered by David Douglas (1799-1834) on Vancouver Island (Douglas fir is also named after him), and Technu really works! The day begins with a foray to collect samples for ID in the workshop. Meet at Marshall Field at 10:00 AM. The foray meeting place is 3.8 miles from somewhere-or-other intersection down the road a ways. For more information and directions, email workshop coordinator Marje Young. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Stories from the April 1, 2008 Issue of Duff Stories from the April 1, 2010 Issue of Duff Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Tricholoma Murrillianum (Matsutake) Of all the choice edible mushrooms that occur in our area, none eluded me longer than the matsutake, Tricholoma murrillianum . by Bob Sellers Tricholoma murrillianum (matsutake). Photo by Hugh Smith The name "matsutake" literally means pine mushroom, from the habitat in which it is found in Japan. Formerly called Armillaria ponderosa and Tricholoma magnivelare , our California species is a close relative of the Japanese form. For years I had scoured the mountains looking for my own secret patch of this much esteemed fungus. Every year l would stare with envy at the dozen or so which mystically appeared at each Fungus Fair knowing that they came from some place nearby. The preferred local habitat is tanoak, or so I was told. Yet all my years of searching had failed to turn up any. These must be the best-kept secret in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Why? I didn't want to be forced to drive north to Mendocino Co. just to find my first matsutake. Where were they? While it might be true that tanoak is the preferred habitat, l found my first specimen and subsequent others on Christmas day (nice present. huh?) in the kind of place you would normally pass by for hunting. The kind of place that a jack rabbit or a covey of quail hiding from a larger predator would take refuge in. The kind of place that leaves you with battered shin bones. telltale scratches. and shredded clothing. The kind of place where your progress is measured in feet/ min. rather than feet/sec. There must be square miles of dense impenetrable thickets of manzanita and scrub oak in the Santa Cruz mountains. Throw in a few chinquapins, pines and sandy soil and you'll begin to visualize the habitat l'm describing. Imagine crawling on your belly with barely enough room for you and your basket, or banging your shins against umpteen manzanita burls and you get the idea. Yet this is where they grow and why they had eluded me for so long. The matsutake clan comprises at least 3 species: the white matsutake, T. murrillianum , our local representative; T. caligatum , which has a darker fibrillose cap and occurs east of the Great Lakes and under conifers in the Pacific NW; and T. matsutake , which occurs in Japan and the Orient and closely resembles T. caligatum . Our version of the matsutake is a firm, dense, robust mushroom standing up to 6" tall with a cap as large as 8"-10" in diameter. The cap is initially white, dense and firm, but soon develops cinnamon to brown fibrils. The cap margin is inrolled when young. The gills are white but usually discolor brownish with age. The spore print is white. The stem is l"-2" thick, hard and tough, white above, but scaly below and colored like the cap. There is a thick white veil forming a prominent ring that flares outward from the stem. The most unique feature of the matsutake, however is its odor - what David Arora refers to as "a provocative compromise between 'red hots’ and dirty socks." There is definitely a cinnamon component to it. I thought this odor was unique to the matsutake group but there is another local mushroom I found with the same fragrance but vastly different appearance called Inocybe fraudans (formerly known as Inocybe pyriodora ). Matsutake are highly esteemed in Japan. The demand for these mushrooms is so great that individual specimens command prices as high as $300 (in 1989) depending upon their size and condition. A lucrative export business has developed in the Pacific Northwest for matsutakes which are air freighted directly to Tokyo where there is an ever increasing market for these "exotic" fungi. Last month (December 1988) I saw our local matsutake selling at the Monterey Market in Palo Alto for $27/1b., quite a bargain compared to Japanese prices ! You would expect a special treat from such a high priced mushroom, and the matsutake is probably worth it. It tastes like it smells (without the dirty socks) and keeps its somewhat chewy texture when cooked. It is wonderful simply sliced razor thin and grilled with soy sauce. I also like it finely shredded in a stir fry dish and have used it in small quantities to season white rice. Mushrooms covered: Inocybe fraudans Tricholoma caligatum (false matsutake) Tricholoma magnivelare (American matsutake, white matsutake) Tricholoma matsutake (matsutake, pine mushroom) Tricholoma murrillianum (western matsutake, ponderosa mushroom) Previous Description All Featured Fungi Next Description

News & Stories / Writings Mushroom Soup Tip – Fried Dried Mushrooms Here is an idea that I recently came up with based on something I got from the Italian American Heritage Foundation of San Jose during a recent talk. Jim Maley • November 1, 2010 Craterellus tubaeformis. © Alan Rockefeller (from mushroomobserver.org) The Italians fry dried peppers in olive oil and garnish with kosher or sea salt. I have done this with fresh peppers, but never dried. Anyway, I experimented with throwing dried mushrooms in the mix and it worked great! Recently I served Chanterelle Soup from a recent trip to Oregon and garnished with fried dry mushrooms (instead of croutons). I tried dried Craterellus and Winter Chanterelles (Yellowfoot) and both worked very well. Since the mushrooms were not reconstituted in water, there was a little grit from the horns, so I have decided that dried Winter Chanterelles are best for this as they are a bit cleaner. Just a few minutes in the hot olive oil until they puff up a bit is enough. Any way, try putting a little crunch in your soup with this idea. I certainly will do this again and have a large amount of dried Yellowfoot and expect to get more in January. Enjoy! --Jim Maley Note: Visit our Recipes page for more ideas! Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Mountain Mushrooms This simple dish was inspired by 14th and 15th century recipes created for aristocrats and royal banquets, using "mountain mushrooms"—high altitude species like porcini, morels, chanterelles, and saffron milk caps. by Rene Seltzer Lactarius deliciosus. © Christian Schwarz (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 101589254) Method Trim and clean the mushrooms. If they are large, cut them in half or quarters. Cook in boiling water for about 10 minutes, then drain thoroughly. In the meantime, Finely chop the onion. In a frying pan, sweat the onion in a little olive oil until very soft. Add the boiled mushrooms, raise the heat to high, and sauté for a minute. Season with salt and the spices. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for about 15 minutes. From time to time, check on the mushrooms and give them a stir. Serve when golden brown. Recipe contributed: March 2000 I found a book called The Medieval Kitchen; Recipes from France and Italy at the Frick, a beautiful old mansion build in the late 1800s next to Central Park, New York City. In it there was a simple recipe: "Take mountain mushroom and boil them; and discard the water; then fry them with finely sliced onion, or with white of leek, spices, and salt and serve." Here is a similar recipe from Tuscany. You can use cultivated mushrooms if you can find nothing else. To accompany this side dish, try Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard's 1997 Paso Robles Duriff. An intense, deep ruby color, with hints of blackberry, woody, grass on the nose, the palette hints of plum, and the finish up front and chalky. Yum! Objective: Side or first course Total Time: About 45 minutes Yield: 4 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Chanterelle (Cantharellus californicus, Cantharellus formosus, Cantharellus subalbidus) Morel (Morchella sp.) Oyster / king oyster mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii, Pleurotus ostreatus) Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Saffron milk cap (Lactarius deliciosus) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients 1 lb. wild (or cultivated) mushrooms 1 small onion (or leek) Olive oil 1 pinch freshly ground pepper 1 pinch ground ginger 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg 2 pinches ground coriander seed Salt Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Field Reports Whats Up, March 2003 At the March General Meeting Ted Lorek was nice enough to show us how prolifically his spot was producing chanterelles and craterellus . John Brown • March 1, 2003 Black Trumpet (Craterellus sp.). Photo by Yevgeny Nyden The following weekend Dennis Nolan came back with two grocery bags, each the size of Ted’s haul, and reports that Craterellus , though in bad shape, were up in his spot, too. Besides these prime edibles, here is a species list from the March meeting: Clitocybe gibba Lactarius rubidus Lactarius thiersii Amanita gemmata Phylloporus rhodoxanthus Marasmius plicatulus Helvella maculata Agaricus semotus Inocybe geophylla Nolanea subcapitata Clitocybe deceptiva Panus conchatus Cystoderma cinnabarinum Clitocybe squamulosa Tricholoma terreum Nolanea latifolia Well, you get the picture. The season here is probably closing, but lots of stuff is still up. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Chanterelle Quiche We are on the front end of our mushroom season, the “beginning of the beginning”. Meanwhile, here is another chanterelle moment... by Richard Lyness Cantharellus formosus. © Alan Rockfeller (from mushroomobserver.org) Method Preheat your oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch pie shaped baking dish with non-stick spray or butter. Arrange the crescent roll triangles in a circle with the tip part hanging over the rim of the dish about 1-2 inches. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the baking dish to fill in any gaps. Over moderate heat, sauté the shallots in the olive oil about 1 minute. Add the chanterelles, salt and pepper. Cook and stir frequently until the water released from the mushrooms evaporates. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Taste and season as appropriate. In a separate bowl, gently whisk the eggs until frothy. Combine with the mushrooms and cheese and pour into the baking dish. Fold the crescent roll tips over the top of the mixture. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes until the center of the quiche is firm to touch. Let cool and enjoy. Recipe contributed: November 2009 Objective: Main course Total Time: 1.5 hours Yield: Varies Suggested Mushrooms: Chanterelle (Cantharellus californicus, Cantharellus formosus, Cantharellus subalbidus) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients 1 8 oz Crescent refrigerated dough roll 2 Tbl olive oil 2 shallots, sliced 1 lb Chanterelle mushrooms, roughly sliced Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/2 C milk 1/2 C heavy cream 3 large eggs 1/2 C Gruyere cheese, grated 1 C Swiss cheese, grated Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Braised Trout with Porcini and Black Trumpet Sauce What better combination than freshly caught trout served with a delectable sauce made with Boletes and Craterellus? by Vince Viverito Boletus edulis. © ponadr (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 253926768) Method Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix wine with mustard and set aside. Melt butter in a pan that is large enough to hold all the trout in one layer. Add shallots and leek, and sauté until soft but not browned. Add wine mixture and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Sauté the Boletus in butter for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Add the Craterellus and continue cooking just until the mushrooms are well coated. Add the remaining tablespoon of parsley, season to taste. Put half the mushrooms in the pan with the vegetables and distribute them around to line the bottom of the pan. Fill the boned trout with spoonfuls of the remaining mushrooms. Lay the trout in the pan on top of the vegetables. Dot with butter. Tear the bay leaf into two parts, lengthwise, and lay on top of the trout. Cover the pan and place in oven at 450°F. Check the trout for doneness (all of the flesh turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork) at around the 12 to 15 minute mark. Cook a few minutes more if needed until done. Serve Remove the fish to a warm platter. Make a roux of the butter and flour and add to the drippings, one teaspoon at a time, until thickened to the desired consistency. Pour over the fish. Garnish with the lemon slices and sprigs of parsley, and serve. Recipe contributed: September 1998 The Echo Summit foray is around the corner, and all indications are it will be another wonderful Boletus year. For those of you who were as successful this past winter in collecting Craterellus as I was, you will undoubtedly enjoy the recipe this month of braised trout with mushroom sauce. This pairs well with boiled new potatoes, crusty French bread, and your favorite white wine. The recipe comes from the cookbook edited by our current CEO Majorie Young and myself, titled From Duff To Dinner, A Gourmet's Guide to Mushroom Cookery . Enjoy. Objective: Main course Total Time: About 1½ hours Yield: 4 to 6 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Black trumpet / black chanterelle (Craterellus atrocinereus, Craterellus calicornucopioides, Craterellus cinereus) Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients 4-6 boned trout 1½ cups dry white wine 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 4 oz. butter 6 shallots, finely chopped ½ lb. Craterellus calicornucopioides , coarsely chopped 1 lb. Boletus edulis , coarsely chopped 1 leek, halved and thinly sliced 3 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped Kosher salt White pepper 1 tsp. thyme 1 whole bay leaf 2 Tbsp. butter 1 Tbsp. flour 4-6 paper thin slices of lemon and parsley Sprigs for garnish Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Chanterelle and Cheese Pancakes Debbie Johnson and her sister, Lynn, served their now famous Chanterelle and Cheese Pancakes at the Wine and Mushroom Dinner. Here is the much-requested recipe. by Deb Cantharellus californicus. © Nathan Wilson (from mushroomobserver.org).jpg Method Pancake Batter Pour milk over bread in a medium bowl. Soak 3 minutes. Strain liquid through a fine sieve, pressing gently with the back of a spoon. Discard milk. You should have 1/3 cup bread. Return bread to bowl. Sauté mushrooms in a bit of clarified butter until liquid has almost evaporated. Blend soaked bread and egg with a fork. Mix in cheese and add chanterelles. Season with salt and pepper to taste. May be prepared and refrigerated up to three hours ahead. Pancakes Heat a large skillet over medium heat, brush lightly with clarified butter, and spoon batter into skillet by tablespoonfuls. Cook a few minutes on each side until brown. Serve immediately, unadorned as a side dish or topped with herbed butter or onion topping as an hors d’oeuvre. Onion Butter Topping Cook onions slowly in a little bit of butter until nicely caramelized. Finish with a splash of brandy, cook off moisture and alcohol, and cool. Blend with softened butter in food processor. Add parsley or red pepper for color, salt and pepper if desired. Recipe contributed: March 2010 This recipe was inspired by a recipe in Mushrooms – Over 100 Tantalizing International Recipes , by Rita Rosenberg. Fisher Books, © 1995. Objective: Appetizer Total Time: About an hour Yield: 12 (2-inch) pancakes Suggested Mushrooms: Chanterelle (Cantharellus californicus, Cantharellus formosus, Cantharellus subalbidus) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients Pancakes 1⁄2 C milk 1 1⁄4 C dry 1⁄2 inch white bread cubes 4 Tbl. clarified butter 1⁄2 C coarsely chopped fresh chanterelles 1 egg, lightly beaten 1⁄2 cup shredded mild cheese such as Fontina or Monterey Jack Salt and pepper to taste Onion Butter Topping 2 yellow or white onions, thinly sliced Splash of brandy 1 stick butter Italian parsley or sautéed red pepper Salt and pepper as desired Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Fried Abalone with Boletes Past Minister of Culinary Affairs, Shea Moss, served this dish at one of our planning meetings. Per attendees' request, she has shared the recipe for our members to enjoy! by Shea Moss Boletus edulis var. grandedulis, © Damon Tighe (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 16079198) Method Tenderize the Abalone Pound the abalone. Place it in a bath of 1 to 1.5 cups of whole milk so that it's fully covered. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours (do not exceed 4 hours, or else the milk enzymes will make the abalone too mushy). Fry the Abalone Slice the abalone into 1/4 inch slices (gives about 8 slices for a medium abalone). In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp baking soda, a pinch of salt, 3/4 cup of the abalone milk bath, and 2 large eggs and mix into a thick batter. Allow the batter to sit for 10 minutes. In the meantime, heat up 1/2 inch of oil in a frying pan to approximately 375°. Dip the abalone slices in the batter, and then fry in single-layer batches until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels or a wire rack, keeping warm. Prepare the Boletes Slice whole fresh or frozen Boletus edulis into 1/4 inch slices. Thinly slice one half of a medium size onion. In a clean sauté pan, sauté the onions in 1 Tbs. unsalted butter util clear, but not browned. Add the sliced boletes and 2 Tbs. of Hazelnut oil. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add one clove of crushed garlic and 1/4 tsp of dried basil. Season to taste. Place pieces of the fried abalone on top of the sautéed bolete slices. Salt lightly, and sprinkle 2 Tbs. of freshly ground hazelnuts over the top. Cover tightly and cook for 5 minutes. To complete the dish, lay each slice of abalone on a serving tray or on individual plates (as applicable for your meal), with a slice(s) of sautéed bolete and a portion of the sautéed onions and chopped hazelnuts on top. Tip from Shea: If serving several slices per person as a main course, this dish goes well with new (or fingerling or baby) potatoes, oven-steamed with rosemary, tarragon, and slices of butter. Recipe contributed: November 1987 Objective: Side or first course Total Time: 3 or 4 hours Yield: 8 slices (or to preference) Suggested Mushrooms: Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients 1 medium fresh-caught abalone (about 2" thick)* 1 or 2 large boletes (adapt quantity to your preference) 1 to 1.5 cups of milk 1 cup of flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 pinch of salt 2 large eggs 1/2 medium size onion 1 Tbs. unsalted butter 2 Tbs. of Hazelnut oil (or your preferred oil) 1 clove garlic 1/4 tsp dried basil 2 Tbs. of freshly ground hazelnuts * Farmed abalone might be smaller, so you'll end up with fewer slices Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

News & Stories / Fair News A Short History of the Fungus Fair At our recent club meeting, Phil Carpenter shared how FFSC and the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair came to be. Here's a video recap of his talk! Vellany Pierce • January 6, 2014 Phil Carpenter gives a short history of FFSC and the Fungus Fair Learn more on our FFSC History page! Come and celebrate the Fair with us at Louden Nelson Center in Santa Cruz this coming weekend: January 10th, 2014: 3-7 Sat 11th, 2014: 10-5 Sun 12th, 2014: 10-5 Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Fungus Fair Sculpture at the Wharf Haikus Celebrating the Secret Life of Fungi Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Mycology & Art News How to Keep Fresh Chanterelles (Almost) Forever Here is how I have stored chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) for up to 6 weeks. even 8 weeks, in the refrigerator. Steven Pencall (LAMS) • February 1, 2001 Cantharellus cibarius. © cultivat0r (CC-BY-NC) (inaturalist.org, obs. 232430263) Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article