Classic French

Fricassée of wild mushrooms

Name: Fricassée of wild mushrooms
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 40g butter, unsalted; 30g shallot or white onion, chopped; 5g / 1 clove garlic, peeled, pureed; 400g mixed wild mushrooms e.g. chanterelle, girolle, pieds bleus, button mushrooms; 5g black trumpet mushrooms; 15ml / 1/3 lemon, juice; 100ml white wine, dry, boiled for 30 seconds; 4g / 4 pinches sea salt; 2g / 4 pinches pepper, black, freshly ground; 10g / 1 small handful parsley, flat leaf, chopped coarsely; 120g / 2 Roma tomatoes, quartered, deseeded, diced 5mm, skin on; ½ small baguette, sliced into 20 fine slices, 3 mm thick, toasted under the grill or in the oven at 180ºC until lightly golden brown and rubbed with a clove of peeled garlic.

It has all the earthy flavours of the forest and lots of juice just waiting to be mopped up with a piece of crusty French bread.

Prep 20 minsCook 5 minsServes 4

For my seventh birthday, my father gave me a beautiful hand-drawn treasure map. It detailed all of the best places to go hunting and fishing in the area, and this included where to forage for the best mushrooms. I would return home with my treasure and, if I had gathered enough, Maman Blanc would cook his delicious mushroom fricassee. Nowadays, I am a lucky boy to have the luxury of my own valley of wild mushrooms at Le Manoir. The dish is simple to make, so it relies on the quality and freshness of the produce. It has all the earthy flavours of the forest and lots of juice just waiting to be mopped up with a piece of crusty French bread. If you can get them, the best mushrooms are girolles, lambs feet, pieds bleus, chanterelles, and oyster mushrooms.

Ingredients

Ingredients for the mushroom fricassee

40gbutter, unsalted
30gshallot or white onion, chopped
5g / 1 clovegarlic, peeled, pureed
400gmixed wild mushrooms e.g. chanterelle, girolle, pieds bleus, button mushrooms
5gblack trumpet mushrooms
15ml / 1/3lemon, juice
100mlwhite wine, dry, boiled for 30 seconds
4g / 4 pinchessea salt
2g / 4 pinchespepper, black, freshly ground
10g / 1 small handfulparsley, flat leaf, chopped coarsely
120g / 2Roma tomatoes, quartered, deseeded, diced 5mm, skin on

For the croutons

1/2small baguette, sliced into 20 fine slices, 3 mm thick, toasted under the grill or in the oven at 180ºC until lightly golden brown and rubbed with a clove of peeled garlic.

Method

1
Preparing the mushrooms Remove all twigs and leaves. Cut off the base of the root and divide the mushrooms into two or three pieces.
If you are using lambs feet, mushrooms scrape off their velvety hairs with a small knife. Reserve the black trumpets.
Plunge the other mushrooms into 3 litres of water and quickly swirl them with your hands for no more than 10 seconds. Mushrooms are great sponges and will soak up the water very quickly, ensuring this process is done very swiftly.
Lift them out onto a clean towel, pat dry and reserve.
2
Cooking the mushrooms On a medium heat in a large frying pan, soften the chopped shallots in 20g butter for 30 seconds, without colouring.
The gentle heat will sweeten the shallots, remove the sulphur and transform the starch into sugar; into the flavour.
Increase to full heat; add the garlic and all the wild mushrooms (apart from the black trumpets).
Season with a little salt and pepper, add the boiled wine, cover with a lid and cook on full boil for a further minute.
3
Add the lemon juice and stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Lastly, add the black trumpets, the chopped parsley leaves and diced tomatoes; cook for a further 10 seconds, no more: taste and correct the seasoning.
The essence of this dish is speed. If overcooked, the mushrooms release all their juice and lose all their texture.
The dish becomes soupy. Add the black trumpets at the very last minute as they cook very quickly.
Also, they would paint the dish black with their colour.
4
Serving Serve in a large bowl or 4 soup plates, scatter the croutons over and finish with a little parsley.
5
Variations Of course, wild mushrooms can be used for this dish, and many herbs such as tarragon, coriander, and chervil.

Chef's Tips

“
"If you can get them, the best mushrooms are girolles, lambs feet, pieds bleus, chanterelles, and oyster mushrooms."

Cooking is always an expression of care and generosity. Enjoy this dish.

Bon appétit!