One of the advantages of being an author is the opportunity to exchange books with other authors. I recently exchanged my new book of short stories, Pieces of Time (exclusively available at Gallery Books in Mendocino for now) with Alison Gardener’s The Wild Mushroom Cookbook. What a great trade it was! I tried out one the the quiche recipes for lunch and it was DELICIOUS.
The Wild Mushroom Cookbook provides information on edible wild mushrooms together with nearly 300 recipes. Here is how the authors describe their book.
Are you a mushroomer? Wonder what to do with your bounty? Getting tired of your old recipes? We are two women (Alison Gardner and Merry Winslow) from Northern California with both mushrooming and cooking experience, and we have written The Wild Mushroom Cookbook: Recipes from Mendocino. The book has been a real hit; we sold out of the first printing of 1200 copies, and are on the second printing! The books includes 299 recipes, in chapters devoted to appetizers, dips, spreads, pickles, sauces and gravies, breads, soups, salads and salad dressings, side dishes, entrees, drinks and desserts.
There are recipes for commonly eaten wild mushrooms, like chanterelles, oyster mushroom and porcini, and recipes for rather esoteric wild mushrooms, also. Find recipes for the cauliflower mushroom, sweetbread mushroom, blewits, man on horseback, candy caps, beefsteak mushroom, milk caps, shrimp russula, variegated russula, cocorra, grisette, matsutake, hawk wing, yellow feet, hedgehogs, shaggy manes, deer mushrooms, volvariellas, and many more. If they are commonly found in our area, and edible, we tried to include them.
Many recipes are interchangeable for several or many different kinds of mushrooms, and if you don’t eat wild ones, grocery store mushrooms could be used in many (but not all) recipes.
Here are some of the accolades for our book:
“This delightful exploration of familiar and unusual fungi is at once accessible and esoteric. The authors reach down into the fragrant forest floor to retrieve and reveal its delicious treasures and offer them up in scrumptious dishes to enjoy at every meal and in every course, from appetizers and soups to desserts. The Wild Mushroom Cookbook not only guides you through the preparation of North Coast mushrooms; it also inspires you to get out into the wild yourself—with a knowledgeable guide, of course—to harvest some precious Matsutakes, Pig’s Ears, Turkey Tails and, my favorite, the elusive and ephemeral Shaggy Mane. Keep a copy in your kitchen and buy another for your favorite mushroom lover.” —Michele Anna Jordan, chef, writer and author of numerous cookbooks, including Vinaigrettes and Other Dressings and More Than Meatballs
“If you love the thrill of the mushroom hunt and bringing back your trophies to feast on as much as I do, this is a must-have book. Chock-full of mushroom lore, serious fungi knowledge, and inspired recipes for using mushrooms in every way, Alison and Merry welcome you into their wild and adventuresome world with open arms.” —Georgeanne Brennan, author, A Pig in Provence and owner, La Vie Rustic www.lavierustic.com
“This is a very clearly written, comprehensive, and well-thought-out book on wild mushroom basics, but the recipes are beyond basic—way beyond. I read recipes and envision how they will taste, and these look fabulous! I recommend this book to everyone in the mushroom world who has any interest in cooking.” —“Mycochef” Patrick Hamilton
“The authors’ love of and respect for mushrooms shine in this well-researched compendium of mushroom information and inventive, clearly written recipes. I was especially captivated by the unique and imaginative desserts and drinks.” —Margaret Fox, Culinary Director, Harvest Market (Fort Bragg), and author of Cafe Beaujolais and Morning Food
“A truly authentic West Coast Gem!! From soufflé to sorbet and Aspics to Applesauce these amazing women bring a broad spectrum of cuisine to their readers. Wild mushrooms abound in the Mendocino coastal region and this cookbook offers an amazing blend of fearlessly diverse culinary concepts and clear mastery of mushroom!” —Kelly Hatcher, Chef, The Tip of the Knife
“The Wild Mushroom Cookbook offers several… “genius” recipes from a passionate community of resourceful, woodsy Californian mushroom hunters…The extensive collection (of recipes) is the result of years of cooking and sharing successes…The mushroom featured in the book span the west coast collection season…And unlike any other mushroom cookbook we’ve seen, The Wild Mushroom Cookbook has extensive chapters on drinks and desserts.” –Barbara Ching and Jennifer Knox, Mycophile newsletter, July/Aug., 2015
Wild mushrooms can be dangerous and even lethal if you don’t choose them carefully. Alison and Merry point out the dangers in their book. As they say: “There are old mushroom hunters, and bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters. So, do be careful in you choose to hunt your own. Start by seeking the help of some “old mushroom hunters” who know their business. That said, I can attest to the fact that the effort is worth it. I am no expert but I have benefited from a few locals who are knowledgeable and whom I can trust. The recipes in The Wild Mushroom Cookbook are easy to use and very satisfying to eat!
I hope the stories in my new book are equally easy to read and that they provide a few laughs and perhaps some deep thinking. As they say, the test is in the pudding/reading.