Favorite Mushrooms

[sashae]

I'm surprised to not have seen Lobster Mushrooms mentioned yet -- surprisingly meaty tasting, excellent mixed with pasta or made into a soup...

[Jinmyo]

sashae, lobster mushrooms are wonderful. I find them fresh infrequently but have a friend bring me bags of dried from BC.

I do have to say though that while I find various mushrooms meaty in texture, I have never had one that tastes even remotely like meat.

[cabrales]

I prepared enoki tonight, sauced with white wine, garlic, and finely-ground black peppercorns.  The dish would have been better without the inclusion of peppercorns and with less wine (I used residual Macon from J Drouhin I was drinking).  I let the enoki simmer in the wine for a while. The enoki had bulbous tops -- the largest I recollect seeing.  

This was not the first time I had prepared mushrooms. Previously, I had utilized the fat inherent in duck rilettes, olive oil and the rilettes themselves to produce a liquid for cooking chanterelles. That had turned out better than today's enoki.  

[Jinmyo]

Ha ha, congratulations and condolences, cabrales. Of course you wouldn't have been satisfied with them. What did you have the enoki with?

I rarely do more to enoki than just lay them in very hot miso soup.

[cabrales]

Ha ha, congratulations and condolences, cabrales. Of course you wouldn't have been satisfied with them. What did you have the enoki with?

Jinmyo -- Thanks   The enokis were the only item I prepared on my own last night. I had purchased hen of the woods and thought about cooking them in a different, butter-based preparation. However, I was too full to make the second preparation. I had already taken in very good dumplings at Dim Sum Go Go (212-732-0797). Note it was my first visit to DSGG, and I did not sample non-dim sum dishes.

[Jinmyo]

cabrales, hen of the woods are superb done in butter with a tiny bit of shallot and garlic, served atop scrambled eggs or under coddled eggs with a baguette.

Please post a review of DSGG. I love dim sum mightlily.

[cabrales]

Please post a review of DSGG. I love dim sum mightlily.

Jinmyo -- The dumplings at DSGG were the best I have sampled in NYC as far as dim sum dumplings go (leaving aside Joe Shanghai soup dumplings with pork and crabmeat). robert brown and others on the board have previously mentioned this restaurant. Note my coverage of NYC dim sum restaurants is limited.

The sampled items included Dumpling Soup with Shark Fin ($6.95 for dinner; $1 less for lunch; one order serves one diner). This item was good, with a single large dumpling immersed in nicely flavored chicken soup. As at other restaurants, the sharks' fin was included in extremely small quantities and this dish should not be ordered by a diner interested in sampling sharks' fin. A comforting and tasty dish. Note DSGG offers a steamed dim sum called Shark Fin Dumplings; diners interested in the soup-based item should be careful not to order the smaller, different steamed dumplings.

Noteworthy dumplings included Duck Dumplings (nice restraint in the limited utilization of duck, cast against diced vegetables; still offered good duck flavors; $3.95 during dinner; $2.65 during lunch), and Chinese Parsley Dumplings (aromatic and pristine; same price).  Other items sampled were (1) Three Star Dumplings (a visually beautiful, light pink-artificially-colored dumpling with water chestnuts, which you may recollect I dislike and which you like; same price), (2) Chives and Shrimp Dumpling (same price), and (3) Chicken and Sticky Rice In Lotus Leaves (same price).

The dipping sauces were better than the average Chinese dim sum restaurant, and consisted of (1) a vinegar-based sauce with garlic and red chilli, (2) a ginger and spring onion-based sauce, and (3) strands of spiced dried seafood (likely including fish and tiny shrimp).  

Background

The decor is nice relative to other Chinese restaurants in NYC Chinatown. The use of a clean white, with sheaths of burgundy-colored, thin cloth and burgundy-colored depictions of people and scenery patterned after historical Chinese design styles. The service is better than the average Chinese restaurant in Chinatown.

[Jinmyo]

Wonderful, cabrales.

I haven't seen much use of mushrooms in dim sum for some reason except at vegetarian Chinese restaurants. Have you?

Does DSGG have turnip cake?

[cabrales]

Jinmyo -- On the use of mushrooms in dim sum, matsutake (Chinese) mushroom (likely originally dried) is sliced into small juliennes and inserted into dumplings' insides (together with other ingredients) for dumplings at times. However, I agree that some dim sum places could better cater to the needs of those interested in sampling mushrooms.

DSGG has a section on its dim sum menu for vegetarian dumplings, consisting of: Bamboo Heart Dumpling, Three Star Dumpling, Rice Noodle Dumplings, Snow Pea Leaf Dumplings, Chinese Parsley Dumplings, Green Dumplings, Soy Bean Dumplings, Abbott's Delight, Spinach Dumplings and Mushroom Dumplings. Each is $3.25 during dinner, $2.25 during lunch. DSGG offered Stuffed Mushrooms (likely stuffed with shrimp) at $3.95 during dinner, $2.65 during lunch.

DSGG does offer turnip cake, although these items are not steamed and are fried ($3.25 during dinner, $2.25 during lunch). On DSGG, members should note that the quality of the non-dim sum items is not being addressed by my posts.

robert brown, Susan and I took in the meal at DSGG together. It appeared that robert and Susan enjoyed the dim sum there as well.  

On other mushrooms, Liza and I were discussing in this thread how cremini appear underrepresented on NYC restaurant menus. Cremini Mushroom Pasta, fresh goat cheese, wilted baby arugula and EVOO, was among the entree selections (not taken) for Gotham Bar & Grill's $20.02 Prix Fixe lunch. Write-up to come on the NY board.

[Sandra Levine]

[The decor is nice relative to other Chinese restaurants in NYC Chinatown. The use of a clean white, with sheaths of burgundy-colored, thin cloth and burgundy-colored depictions of people and scenery patterned after historical Chinese design styles.

Probably because Collette Rossant was the consultant for this restaurant.  She is married to James Rossant, a fine architect.

Cabrales, you seem to have ordered a la carte.  I've been to DSGG twice but had only the prix-fixe dim sum assortment.  The first time my husband and I ordered a vegetarian and non-vegetarian assortment and shared both. The second time (during jury duty) I went back alone to have a full order of the non-vegetarian dim sum, which I preferred.  A full assortment was under $10.  The dumplings were smaller than most, with very thin and delicate skins.  The dipping sauces were excellent.

[stefanyb]

And matsutake are highly prized in Iron Chef land.

.

I'm just dying to try Matsutakemushrooms precisely because of seeing them on Iron Chef.

Has anyone seen them in NYC?

[cabrales]

I've been to DSGG twice but had only the prix-fixe dim sum assortment.  

Sandra -- Approximately how many dumplings were included in the prix fixe assortment, if you recollect? On a la carte, there were generally 3 dumplings per order (except for the sharks' fin soup dumpling).

[Sandra Levine]

There were 10 or 12 small dumplings -- just right for lunch.

[B Edulis]

And matsutake are highly prized in Iron Chef land.

.

I'm just dying to try Matsutakemushrooms precisely because of seeing them on Iron Chef.

Has anyone seen them in NYC?

I saw some for sale at the Japanese shopping center in NJ called, mmmmm, Mitsua? The one near Rivers' Edge. Anyway, they were, literally, about $100 a pound. I've never had one. They're supposed to grow all over North America from August thru November. They're related to honey mushrooms (Armellaria) which are more numerous around these parts, and which are delicious.

BTW, lobster mushrooms are actually a combination of 2 fungi. They are the usually unpalatable lactarius or russula mushrooms with a parasitic bright red mold growing on them. Technically, the mold could parasitize a poisonous species, but it's never been known to happen, as far as I know. But the field guides give fair warning. Oh those tricky fungi -- they really keep you guessing.

[DRColby]

Perhaps it's time to get this thread going again since it is Spring mushroom season.

Anyway, yesterday I picked a dozen or so of the niced bolete buttons I have seen, Now, what to do with them?

Since the season started here in the Pacific Northwest, about 2 weeks ago, we have had edulis rex cooked and then on a bed of bib with garlic, lemon and olive oil; with wild rice and duck; with pasta; and just grilled simply and with steak.

Since there are still some morels around we had those last night with Spring peas and bow tie pasta.

I have a killer grits and mushroom recipe but it seems a waste of such nice "little piggys." Any thoughts?

Dave

[AzRaeL]

I'd say Morels.

Is there anything finer than a deep fried or sauteed morel?

[Suzanne F]

Yes: a roasted Hen of the Woods, as made at Craft.

[madziast]

or sauteed fresh porcini

[culinary bear]

I have to admit more than a passing fondness for parasol mushrooms. Chickeny, and I know where to find them. :)

[NulloModo]

For me, it is hard to beat the flavor, versatility, and price of some good portabello mushrooms.

[phifly04]

chanterelles

[Jinmyo]

Chanterelles, hen of the woods, black trumpets, morels and such are very easy for me to obtain.

Whereas fresh porcini are not, somehow.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

[winegeek]

Shitakkes are my favourite

[AzRaeL]

Chanterelles, hen of the woods, black trumpets, morels and such are very easy for me to obtain.

←

Just how easy is "very easy" for me it's a trip into the city and large amounts of money just for dried morels.

[fiftydollars]

Plain old button mushrooms... I love all sorts of other mushrooms, but I am still impressed by how good these can be.