Asheville Mushroom Club

Mixed Mushroom Tart

1 9 inch unbaked pie crust
4 T. butter
6 c. chopped wild and/or domestic mushrooms (include as many Green Quilt Russula as you can find!)
3 lg. shallots, minced
2 eggs
1/2 c. half and half cream
1/4 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper

Prejeat oven to 350. Bake crust about 12 minutes, or until golden. Set aside, keeping oven on. In a large skillet, melt butter over moderate heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to pie crust. In a bowl, beat eggs with half and half, wine, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Pour over mushrooms. Bake about 25 minutes or until almost set in the center. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6 - 8.

These recipes is featured in "Cooking with
the Asheville Mushroom Club" cook book on
page 133, 134.

Club members have collected hundreds of recipes featuring local
and cultivated mushrooms to create a unique specialty cookbook.

Purchase your copy at club meetings for $10 or by ordering from Ken McGill, PO Box 182, Campobello, SC 29322 for $14.95.

Each month we'll be highlighting one mushroom that can be found in WNC during that current month. This is in an attempt to help members or guests learn our local mushrooms. It will also be noted whether the mushroom is edible, ill advised, or poisonous.

Russula crustosa - the green quilt russula

Well this isn’t quite the season, but last month’s column was about morels. So I decided to write about one of my favorites.

Russulas in general get little respect. When they are brought in for identification most mycologists look for something else to ID. There just doesn’t seem to be anyone who really cares about them. This is really a shame because the green quilt is a prime candidate for the kitchen. It is in fact one of my all time favorites to eat.

Beginning in July and ending about first frost the green quilt is fairly common in the open woodlands. Look under the trees on the ground, in some areas the green quilt is more often tan than green, but both are edible and quite good. If you make a mistake I don’t think it is a huge issue. I don’t know of any poisonous green russulas, however the others are less valuable as a culinary ingredient. My favorite meal with the green quilt is very simple. Just slice & sauté with some finely chopped garlic, salt & pepper in some really good olive oil and toss with linguine and some parmesan. A bottle of wine & a loaf of crusty bread make a meal fit for a king.

Lincoff lists the green quilt as “…found in large quantities after August rains.”, but I have never found more than I could use at once. I strongly suspect that drying would be the preservation method of choice if you ever hit the jackpot and believe me once you try them you’ll want to try them again and again.

I know, I know, April is morel month so just get out there & find them. Just remember the green quilt for later, it’s really worth it!

Happy, many morels to all,

Steve

Steve Peek, field mycologist and long standing member of the Asheville Mushroom Club