GCC - Mushroom - LPBeier

[LPBeier]

Okay, okay guys, take it easy. Here is my menu, with pics and critiques. I am going to post the recipes in their normal categories and link them here....just in case anyone is silly enough to want to make them

I say silly, because I really let my passion for food and love for mushrooms let my creativity walk a little on the whimsical side. I hope you like them as much as I loved putting this all together.

Appetizer - Spinach & Mushroom Soup with Mushroom Tempura Croutons

Main - Mushroom and Steaks with Mashed Sweet Potato and Broiled Tomato with Spinach Pesto

Beverage - Porcini Latte

Dessert - Truffle Truffles in Dirt

I am giving the menu to you here as a bit of a teaser and will put each course up separately as fast as I can compile them.

 

[LPBeier]

Spinach and Mushroom Soup with Tempura Mushroom Croutons

I love mushroom soup - of any kind. My dear hubby can not have dairy and so I have been experimenting with broths and different mushrooms. I originally used four mushrooms - white, crimini, enoki and oyster; however, by the time I was to make the croutons the oysters that were left were no good so for that part I was only able to use the other three.

DH was my "judge" here and had some great comments, as he was testing it through the different stages of preparation. Thanks to him I added some hot sauce and more salt and pepper.

The idea of making tempura "croutons" came from a competition at school where my partner and I were giving mushroom soup (guys against girls) and we made deep fried cheese ball croutons....and won! With the appetizer bowl you can mostly dip the mushroom in the soup, but it did add an extra level of flavour and texture to the dish. You could just as easily eat the tempura on its own.

The soup itself was nice. The onion, garlic and hot sauce didn't stand out, but definitely would have lessened the flavour if they hadn't been added. The vegetable broth really highlighted the mushroom juices. The spinach, which was added just before serving, added colour, flavour and another layer of texture.

 

[LPBeier]

Mushroom and Steaks

I love a good play on words and when this all started I knew my main would be a grilled portabello! I got hooked on these when I was a vegetarian and still love them. The "steaks" part became the mushrooms of an ordinary steak dinner. I grilled a striploin to medium rare, sliced against the grain and then placed 1 inch pieces over and around as you would sliced mushrooms on a steak. The portabello was marinated in a lemon garlic mixture, while the steak was seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil. Thyme was used for both and the finished dish was dabbed with a Red Chili compound butter.

The sweet potatoes were boiled and mashed with butter, salt and pepper. I pressed them into a ring mould to act as a base for the tomato. The tomato was brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Then it was covered with a spinach pesto, topped with cheese and placed under the broiler.

My judge (again DH) was thought that the presentation was excellent (pictures are slightly blurry) and overall the different elements blended well together. The mushroom was well cooked (grilled) though the marinade was a little acetic for his taste. The steak was cooked perfectly and the chili butter played well with the tartness of the marinade and sweetness of the vegetables.

 

[LPBeier]

Porcini Latte

Okay, my "secret ingredient" can be revealed! I wanted to make a latte as my drink and new porcini was the correct mushroom for the job. I was going to just get some dried mushrooms and either grind them to a powder or, as Dave did with his drink, use the re-hydrating liquid. Then I remembered that a gourmet store I love carried a porcini powder. It is about an hour away and I only seem to get there when I go see my doctor in that area. Well, we were able to procure it on Wednesday and it did not disappoint at all.

I used a bit of boiling water with a good half a teaspoon of porcini powder in the bottom of my mug and brewed the expresso over it, mixing the two together before adding the frothing milk. I then sprinkled more powder over the milk as you would cocoa or cinnamon. The fragrance of the porcini melded beautifully with the undertones of the espresso. While you might think it would be gritty, having made the paste first left the mushroom powder very smooth and the drink had an almost velvety texture. I could drink these all the time and DH was impressed as well.

 

[LPBeier]

Truffle Truffles in Dirt

Okay, that is probably the most unappetizing names for a dessert; however, it actually contains two chocolate elements many people love - truffles and chocolate mousse (sitting in as the "dirt").

I experimented with the truffles, adding truffle oil. At first I added way too much and almost decided to scrap the whole thing and think of something else. However, I added more chocolate and once they were rolled in cocoa the little chocolate morsels became more appetizing. And when placed in the mousse (a cooked chocolate custard with chocolate whip cream folded in) the two blended very well.

My father can't stand mushrooms but loves chocolate and has no problem with Dairy so he rated the mousse for me and said it was very light, airy and chocolaty, but not two sweet. This coming from a true chocoholic!

DH must be careful with anything containing Dairy but he tasted the truffles (agreeing that the oil could be a little less, but when he took a small bite of the two together said it was a nice blend).

Edit: I made the mousse look more like "dirt" by sprinkling the surface with chocolate shavings before adding the truffles.

 

[LPBeier]

Okay, there is my entry. I will post the recipes, if not tonight, then by tomorrow morning (PST). Thanks for taking a look.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

It all looks fantastic and sounds delicious! This is going to be so hard to vote on. We have all had different takes!

 

[LPBeier]

Thanks, Princess. Your meal is something I could really see myself enjoying and I loved your presentation! I agree voting is going to be challenging. And we still haven't heard from Goodweed!

 

[FrankZ]

Looks good. I really want to try the latte... (ok, I want to do it all, but the latte really intrigues me). Oh.. and we have the porcini powder.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Yeah, I want a sip of that latte, too! All of it is making me hungry again and I'm off to bed!

 

[LPBeier]

Looks good. I really want to try the latte... (ok, I want to do it all, but the latte really intrigues me). Oh.. and we have the porcini powder.

So THAT's why I had so much trouble getting it!

Maybe I will try a porcini mocha buttercream for my next cake!

I've made myself two latte's since the original one. I think they are addictive!

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

LPB I am very,very impressed and I now know what Fz ref was so I will work on it

 

[spork]

The appetizer is ingenious, both a soup and a dip for a sampler of crispy mushrooms. Nicely done, LPB! Plus 10 points for your sportsmanship restraint from overly using your oven skills to blow this contest away.

 

[LPBeier]

The appetizer is ingenious, both a soup and a dip for a sampler of crispy mushrooms. Nicely done, LPB! Plus 10 points for your sportsmanship restraint from overly using your oven skills to blow this contest away.

I didn't look at it as a "contest" to be blown away. I am impressed by everyone's efforts and the only one I was competing against was myself. I haven't created much since leaving catering a year or so ago and it felt good to be in it again. I can't wait to find out what the next topic is.

Thanks for your comment about the appetizer.

 

[LPBeier]

LPB I am very,very impressed and I now know what Fz ref was so I will work on it

Thanks, Bolas, I would love to see you enter in one of these friendly contests - I am interested to see your cooking style!

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

LPB my style is a bit cramped at the moment because of my 1200 cals a day diet, I only have 4 weeks to go before it is increased to 2000 cals.
I did make Couscous last night using dried porcini that I brought back from the market in Split Croatia, I topped the couscous with Mushroom Stroganoff.
I know my pud will be Bouche Noel, I fill with a marron glace cream and coat with the same cream with porcini dust, the dust adds an earthy taste and color, I make little white meringue mushrooms for decoration and sprinkle with more dust.

My fav mushroom breakfast using dried porcini is toasted white sourdough.
Reconstitute your mushrooms and add the liquid and mushrooms to a roux, then add a little chicken stock, some grated parm/reg and a dab of English mustard to make a fairly stiff bechamel, take off the heat and beat in egg yolks, let it set up, spread it thickly on the toast and brown under a hot grill, its my twist on the classic Welsh Rarebit.

 

[DaveSoMD]

That all looks great LP !!! I want to try the Truffle Truffles in Dirt. Mushrooms and chocolate...gotta be good.

Oh and NOW I know who snuck down here and bought up the enoki on me!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

That all looks great LP !!! I want to try the Truffle Truffles in Dirt. Mushrooms and chocolate...gotta be good.

Oh and NOW I know who snuck down here and bought up the enoki on me!

Yes, the enoki were suspiciously gone from here, too! I had planned to use them in my dessert and soup. But, it also got me looking at other mushrooms.

 

[LPBeier]

Oh and NOW I know who snuck down here and bought up the enoki on me!

Yes, the enoki were suspiciously gone from here, too! I had planned to use them in my dessert and soup. But, it also got me looking at other mushrooms.

Actually I had to go to five stores before I found the enoki!






Oh, and by the way, they were all this side of the border!

But with Frank and Kathleen hording the porcini powder, I guess all is even!

 

[LPBeier]

LPB my style is a bit cramped at the moment because of my 1200 cals a day diet, I only have 4 weeks to go before it is increased to 2000 cals.
I did make Couscous last night using dried porcini that I brought back from the market in Split Croatia, I topped the couscous with Mushroom Stroganoff.
I know my pud will be Bouche Noel, I fill with a marron glace cream and coat with the same cream with porcini dust, the dust adds an earthy taste and color, I make little white meringue mushrooms for decoration and sprinkle with more dust.

My fav mushroom breakfast using dried porcini is toasted white sourdough.
Reconstitute your mushrooms and add the liquid and mushrooms to a roux, then add a little chicken stock, some grated parm/reg and a dab of English mustard to make a fairly stiff bechamel, take off the heat and beat in egg yolks, let it set up, spread it thickly on the toast and brown under a hot grill, its my twist on the classic Welsh Rarebit.

Oh, my, that all sounds so good. I never thought of using porcini powder in a bouche Noel but it makes so much sense. I love this stuff. I had only had the chance to use it once before when apprenticing, but always had it in the back of my mind as a versatile ingredient!

Well, I am off to make my morning porcini latte and start my day!