Lobster Mushrooms
#9
  Re: (...)
Visited the farmer's market yesterday and was lucky enough to find a huge lobster mushroom. Grabbed it and a sack of chanterelles plus lots of other goodies, & headed home to play.

[Image: LMUSHROOM.jpg]

To give you the correct perspective, grabbed a bottle (good port for a reduction) and that is just half the mushroom.

We really had no business buying the whole thing, but couldn't resist, so now I have to hurry and use it all up. I cut two 'steaks' from one half and then used the rest of the half for a mushroom sauce. OMG, it turned out good, but so darn rich we could hardly eat it!! One or the other would have been a great dinner....

[Image: lobster.jpg]

The breaded and fried portion was my favorite (of course...fried ), but the mushroom sauce was very good also.

Now, I have to use the other half plus the chantrelles.... there is such a thing as o.d.ing on rich foods and I'm thinking I'm going to pu-- sometime in the next couple days.

Anyone got some good ideas for the chanterelles?
Thinking of doing a ricotta gnocchi with chanterelles, sweet corn, and sage brown butter - but, I'm open for ideas.

The number of booths at the market are dwindling with the season coming to an end up here....hate to see it.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
Reply
#10
  Re: Lobster Mushrooms by cjs (Visited the farmer's...)
Jean that is the coolest mushroom. I have never seen anything like it. Mushrooms are one of my favorites. I saw that mushroom and thought of Mushroom Caviar right away. It would be so beautiful. But I am not sure what to do with chanterelles. Anything you suggest would be delightful.

[Image: mushroom-caviar.jpg]

Here is a recipe, in case anyone is interested.

Mushroom Caviar

3 Tbsp butter
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup of minced shallots
1 Tbsp dry white wine (e.g. Sauvignon Blanc)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp pine nuts
2 Tbsp sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
A couple dashes of cayenne pepper, to taste

1. Melt butter in a large skillet on high heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots. Sauté for 5 minutes stirring frequently.

2. While the mushrooms are cooking, heat a small skillet on high heat. Add the pine nuts. Cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to get a little toasted. (Keep your eyes on the nuts, they can burn pretty quickly.) As soon as they begin to toast, remove the pan from the heat and put the pine nuts into a small bowl. Set aside.

3. While the mushrooms are cooking, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Once they have cooked for about 5 minutes, add the garlic and a tablespoon of dry white wine. Cook for an additional minute and remove from heat. Put mushroom mixture in a bowl, add the toasted pine nuts, and set aside to cool.

4. Once the mushrooms have cooled down a bit, mix in the lemon juice, sour cream, and parsley. Add more salt and pepper, if needed, to taste. Sprinkle on cayenne pepper, to taste. Chill before serving.

Spoon onto a large butter lettuce leaf and serve with crackers. (Use rice crackers for wheat-free option.)

Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Serves four.
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
Laura
Reply
#11
  Re: Re: Lobster Mushrooms by luvnit (Jean that is the coo...)
oh yes, think I'll make this today - thanks Laura!
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
Reply
#12
  Re: Re: Lobster Mushrooms by cjs (oh yes, think I'll m...)
I'll never find a lobster mushroom here, even at Central Market--I could not afford it if I did!!-- We do order chanterelles from Seattle though--what is a good price now?
"He who sups with the devil should have a. long spoon".
Reply
#13
  Re: Lobster Mushrooms by cjs (Visited the farmer's...)
looks fabulous, Jean, I can't say I've ever tried these but they sure look good! I'll have to keep my eyes open!

PJ
PJ
Reply
#14
  Re: Re: Lobster Mushrooms by pjcooks (looks fabulous, Jean...)
I looked them up on the internet. You can order them for about $19.00/lb. Still would be wonderful to try. These ones do not look as big and lucious as the one Jean had.

[Image: FRMLOBSTER.jpg]

http://www.earthy.com/Fresh_Lobster_Mush...WAodDHvU2g

Wikipedia Excerpt: (very interesting)

Lobster mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum) is not a true mushroom. It is a parasitic mold that grows on mushrooms, turning them a reddish orange color that resembles the outer shell of a cooked lobster. In particular it colonizes members of the genera Lactarius (Milk-caps) and Russula, such as Russula brevipes and Lactarius piperatus in the western U.S.. At maturity, a lobster mushroom will so thoroughly cover its host that the underlying mushroom may be unidentifiable. Lobster mushrooms can parasitize a variety of mushrooms, some of which might be toxic, but lobsters are widely eaten and enjoyed by experts. They have a seafood-like flavor and a dense, meaty texture, but may taste peppery if an acrid Lactarius is colonized.
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
Laura
Reply
#15
  Re: Re: Lobster Mushrooms by luvnit (I looked them up on ...)
We got a 1/2 lb. bag of Chanterelles for $4.00 at the farmer's market and the huge Lobster was just $8.00 - it was towards the end of the day, so he might have just wanted to get rid of them....
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
Reply
#16
  Re: Re: Lobster Mushrooms by cjs (We got a 1/2 lb. bag...)
How 'bout a mushroom risotto or a mushroom soup!!

Also---roast some of those babies and slice on a salad---what a GREAT veggie meal!!!

Another choice is to use in a Chinese dish---stir-fry (with pea pods, spring onions, bean sprouts) and serve with noodles!! YUMMM----what a wonderful ingredient that is!!

Might be nice as part of a sauce for lasagna, spaghetti etc.

TOO MANY choices!!
"Never eat more than you can lift" Miss Piggy
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)