Flatiron Foodies: Forager's Treasure by Bouley at Home

Forager's Treasure, by Bouley at Home, is a delicious foray into mushrooms. Mushrooms are versatile gastronomic treasures loaded with numerous health benefits to boost your immune system, destroy cancer cells, and fight obesity. The 'taste of the woods' - sweetness, minerality, and umami - combine in this dish with incredible nutritional power. Pure, nutrient-dense ingredients form the building blocks of a wholesome kitchen, empowering professional and home cooks alike to create clean, delectable dishes on a daily basis.

Join Bouley at Home’s cooking classes Tuesday and Thursday from 1:30-3:30 to learn the skills and techniques to make healthy recipes before enjoying a 3-course, 2-wine pairing lunch.

Interested in more mushrooms? Join Bouley Tuesday, February 13^th 

Forager's Treasure

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 each ​​​Royal trumpet, cap and top 2 inches of stem, sliced lengthwise ¼ inch
• 2 small clusters Maitake (Hen of the Woods), cleaned with a brush
• 2 small clusters​ Enoki
• 1 tablespoon​​ Hon-shimeji
• 1 tablespoon ​​Nameko
• 2 small clusters Oyster
• 1 large cap​​ Shiitake mushroom in oil (see recipe)​
• 1 teaspoon ​​Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon​​ Garlic oil
• 1 teaspoon​​ Vanilla oil
• ½ teaspoon ​​Pain d’epices (spice bread blend)
• 2 spritzes​​ Water
• Pinch​​​ Sea salt
• Pinch ​​​Ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons​​Truffle pate
• 1 tablespoon ​​Sunflower or safflower oil
• ¼ cup​​​ Coconut garlic soup (see recipe)
• ¼ cup​​​ Micro-watercress
• ¼ cup ​​​Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

 Preparation:

 1. Clean and prepare all of the mushrooms. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Drizzle in the olive, garlic, and vanilla oils. Add the royal trumpets to the pan and sear for 30 seconds, and add the remaining mushrooms and sear gently for about 1 minute more. Flip and sprinkle with the spice bread blend. Spritz the pan with water to prevent burning. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Arrange the seared mushrooms artfully on a large platter. In a small bowl, mix together the truffle pate and the oil. Using a small spoon, spread the mushrooms with 1/16 of a teaspoon of the truffle pate mixture. Using an immersion blender to foam the coconut garlic soup and dollop the foam on the mushroom platter. Sprinkle with micro-watercress and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy.

Shiitake Mushrooms in Oil 

Fresh seasonal mushrooms add unique, earthy flavor to a variety of recipes. Mushrooms, however, can be challenging to keep fresh in a home refrigerator. This recipe includes Chef Bouley’s simple short-term preservation method for mushrooms, both extending the refrigerated shelf life of fungi and creating an infused oil, perfect for sautéing savory specialties.

Yields 1 cup

Ingredients

• 6 ounces Shiitake mushroom caps, some whole, some sliced
• 2 ounces Mushrooms, assorted, seasonal, cleaned, stems peeled as necessary
• 12 ounces Safflower or other neutral oil
• 2 sprigs Fresh rosemary
• 1 each Fresh bay leaf

Preparation

1. Place mushrooms and oil in a small saucepan, ensuring the mushrooms are covered halfway in oil and add the herbs. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool in the oil.
2. Store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Eat cold by themselves or slice and toss into sautés, baked dishes such as lasagna, or stuff with cheese and broil.

Coconut Garlic Soup

One of Chef Bouley’s oldest recipes is based on two of nature’s strongest superfoods: garlic and coconut. The Bouley Restaurant kitchen team refers to garlic coconut soup as a ‘tree trunk sauce’ because it serves as the base for a variety of other sauces, including ramp sauce, kale sauce and others. 

Yields 24 ounces

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Safflower oil
• ½ cup Garlic, peeled, sliced 1/8 inch
• ½ cup Shallots, peeled, sliced 1/8 inch
• 3 cups Coconut milk  
• ½ cup Tomato water 
• to taste Sea salt
• to taste Ground white pepper

Preparation

1. Add the safflower oil, garlic, and shallots to a wide bottom pan. Sweat on medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly. Add coconut milk and tomato water, bring to a boil, and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath. Blanch and shock the ramps.
3. Pour the coconut garlic soup in a blender and process on high for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.

Chef’s Note: Garlic Coconut Soup is a basic recipe with thousands of possible variations. Almost any green seasonal vegetable can be blanched, shocked, puréed and added to the Garlic Coconut Soup. Try it with spinach, ramp tops, kale, broccoli, spring peas, tatsoi, or other green vegetables. 

Pictured above: Forager's Treasure

Pictured below: Bouley at Home's Chef David Bouley