Mushroom Cuisine

In the emergency room, someone comes in with severe gastrointestinal distress after eating wild mushrooms. Who do you call? Professor Robert Cummings of SBCC. He regularly is asked to identify wild mushrooms, being an expert on mycology--the study of fungi. Last Monday evening, Professor Cummings entertained the Santa Barbara Culinary Arts group with a slideshow outlining the benefits and hazards of foraging for wild mushrooms. An engaging speaker, he pointed out that mushrooms are high in micronutrients and protein, including lysine--an essential amino acid. Many are high in anti-oxidants and are anti-inflammatory.

The mountains of Santa Barbara sprout an abundance of mushrooms in the spring, from bear's head and puffballs to the coveted chanterelles. Several restaurateurs and caterers in town are known for their wild chanterelle creations.  Chef Randy Bublitz , Chef Isidro Carrillo and their team of culinary arts students at SBCC created an outstanding dinner to accompany Professor Cummings' talk, using a range of mushrooms provided by the Berry Man, a purveyor of wholesale produce from Malibu to San Simeon. Touring & Tasting provided the wines to accompany the gourmet meal.

The menu:
Scrambled Egg with Black Truffle Shavings
Black Trumpet Mushrooms with Potato Gratin
Pan Seared Venison with Port & Morels
Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Madeira Hedgehog & Truffle Glaze
Risotto with Porcini
Huitalacoche  Tortilla Crisps
Korean Roast Salmon with Oyster & Shittake Mushrooms
Haricot Verts with Mixed Mushrooms & Pancetta

The wines:

2011 Fess Parker Riesling, Santa Barbara County
2008 Zaca Mesa Roussanne, Santa Ynez Valley
2008 Allan Scott Pinot Noir, New Zealand
2010 Chateau du Prieur Bordeaux, France

Notes:
It was unanimous--everyone I spoke with raved about both the food and wine. The simple combination of egg and black truffle was divine--a dish that explained why black truffle is so expensive and desired. The port and morel sauce was rich and intense; Chef Randy commented that the secret was in the long, slow cooking to develop the flavors. The Korean salmon dish was also superb with a bit of chile to give heat without overwhelming the delicate salmon, Shiitake and oyster mushrooms. The wines were paired very nicely, with the crisp, citrus and honey taste of the Fess Parker dry Riesling balancing the rich sauces--I do believe a quantity of delicious butter was used--and the Zaca Mesa Roussanne providing a white wine for those who prefer the creamy mouthfeel of a wine aged sur lie. The New Zealand Pinot Noir from the Marlborough region had deep fruit and a smokiness that paired very well with mushrooms--Pinot Noir and mushrooms are always a great pairing. The Chateau du Prieur is a very expensive-tasting Bordeaux that easily met the challenge easily of pairing with the diverse meal. It is from an 135 acre estate in Bordeaux, just 5 miles from St. Emilion, so its excellent terroir shone through in the glass.

If you want to try your hand at collecting wild mushrooms, read up on it first and make sure you have any mushrooms checked by an expert. The North American Mycological Society's 30 year report found there have been 1,641 people sickened by wild mushrooms,  with 1% of them dying. Also, there were 15 cats and dogs deaths, with the cause confirmed as mushroom poisoning.  The "death cap", Amanita phalloides, can kill someone just by touching other mushrooms collected and eaten. The amatoxin α-amanitin it contains stops cell metabolism and destroys the liver within days. Young Amanita look identical to the edible straw mushrooms and puffballs, so if in doubt, don't collect any of these.

I grew up foraging for mushrooms with my family in Colorado. Like the other Japanese-Americans, we preferred matsutake Tricholoma matsutake which grows only on fallen pine logs and has a signature aroma and flavor of pine. It is so concentrated that a single matsutake can flavor an entire pot of soup. I treasure the memories of time spent as family walking through the quiet woods looking for the brown caps poking out from under the pine leaf litter. Their aroma is intoxicating. As with all mushroom hunters, our hunting grounds were secret. Try asking a mushroom hunter in Santa Barbara where they find their chanterelles--they will never say! Fortunately, wild mushrooms can often be found at farmer's markets and you can easily grow your own from one of the mushroom kits available online.