Fresh Morel

Bursting forth out of leaf packed forest floors at the first signs of spring, morels are a coveted delicacy worldwide. And for good reason. Their firm rippled texture creates pockets that store musty aromas and flavors of the woods. Somehow morels look and taste as though they belong to northwest forests (They don’t; morels grow in Europe, Asia and America).

Three morel truths to keep in mind:

1. Morels do not need lots of added flavor from sauces or herbs that might mask their earthiness.
2. Their wonderful ridged texture is destroyed by cutting them into tiny pieces;
3. If morels are cooked too long the magic of that texture disappears into spongy (not good).

From truths to cooking hints:

1. Added flavors that work: mild onion or garlic  (shallots, spring baby onions, ramps, baby garlic, whites of scallion); butter is a must even if it’s just a small percentage of the added fat; a little bit of semi-dry sherry; cream; almost flavorless stock (mushroom is best, has flavor that is authentic); salt and pepper. Mature herbs like rosemary, tarragon, basil, sage etc. will overpower their natural flavor.
2. Cut off the white stem base (save it for mushroom stock). Break or cut the bodies of the mushrooms in half and then in quarters, no smaller. They will shrink as they cook.
3. Taste as you cook to be sure the mushrooms are not overcooking. If the sauce isn’t finished (thick enough in the case of cream or reduced for red meat sauce) and the mushrooms are done, take them out of the sauce, finish it and then put them back with any juice that came with them.

Now, get ready to use all this information to create your own morel masterpiece by trying one of the recipes that will follow this post.