Move Over for Mushroom Season

 BY SUZANNE LEDBETTER

Any way you slice them, mushrooms are a tasty tool to add to your culinary library. With dozens of varieties to choose from, they are the perfect low-calorie ingredient to ramp up flavor in an array of dishes. From soups and appetizers, to burgers, pastas, and braised meats, make more room for mushrooms on your plate!

Have you ever wondered why mushrooms are so vital to building flavor in recipes? Because mushrooms are the ultimate ingredient to create umami. A Japanese word used to describe savoriness, umami

Feuillet S Aux Champignons Sauvages

Recipe adapted from Cocoa and Lavender

INGREDIENTS

½ lb. all-butter puff pastry

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 oz. shallots, chopped

6 oz. wild mushrooms

1 tbsp. chopped tarragon

1/3 c. white wine

2 tbsp. cognac

½ c. heavy cream

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

Salt Pepper

Parsley

Egg yolk is a brothy, rich, or meaty taste sensation. Umami is one of the five basic tastes alongside sweet, salty, bitter, and sour.

Mushrooms, along with foods like Parmesan cheese and tomatoes, are some of the best sources of umami. And while all mushrooms are a source of umami, the darker the mushroom, the deeper in flavor. This is often why you find chefs using shiitake, cremini, portabella, and white button mushrooms in their cuisine. They are a reliable source of umami to bring balance to any dish. So go ahead, clear the fridge, and make room for mushrooms!

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut four, four-inch squares of puff pastry. Place two on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut a square from the center of the other two pieces of dough to create the sides and top of the feuilleté box. Brush bases lightly with water and place cut sides and tops onto the bases; press together gently. Stir yolk, then brush tops of pastry with yolk, being careful not to let it get on the sides (that will keep it from “puffing”). Bake for 12 minutes, then remove from oven. Using a serrated knife, cut around the edges of the “top” and then, using a small spatula, remove the center tops and reserve (they may need an extra couple of minutes in the oven). Sauté shallots in three tablespoons of fresh butter. When soft, add the wild mushrooms and tarragon, and cook until mushrooms are golden-brown. Deglaze with white wine and reduce by half. Add Cognac, cook a couple of minutes, then add cream and cook for another four to five minutes. Finish with remaining tablespoon of butter while seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and parsley. Divide filling between two boxes, and cover with reserved puff pastry top.