Baked Eggs and Morels

Serves 4

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

When spring has sprung and the morels pop up in the forest (or at your grocery store) you know it’s time to make this terrific breakfast dish.  It’s rich.  It’s delectable.  It’s a bit of heaven.

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for dishes

1 small shallot, finely chopped

8 fresh morel mushrooms, (about 1 cup), halved lengthwise

Coarse salt

1 cup heavy cream

4 large eggs

Freshly ground pepper

1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives for garnish (optional)

Whole-wheat bread, toasted and cut into “points” (triangles) or “soldiers” (long narrow rectangles) for dipping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallot. Cook, stirring constantly, until shallot has softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes. Add cream; bring to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat, and let mushroom mixture cool 5 minutes.

Butter four 6-inch shallow baking dishes (such as gratin dishes). Place dishes on a rimmed baking sheet. Crack 1 egg into each baking dish, keeping yolks intact, and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mushroom-cream mixture into dishes, dividing evenly, and sprinkle with chives. Bake on baking sheet until the egg whites are just set, 9 to 12 minutes. Serve with bread, for dipping.

Spring Vegetable Pasta with Lemon-Cream Sauce

6 Side Dish Servings

Recipe from Cooking Light 
MAY 2013

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

To celebrate the morel season, I served this as a special side dish for some friends using morels my hubby found.  This recipe got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from all at the table.  This would also be delicious using cremini or button mushrooms. To make this a vegetarian dish for Meatless Monday, use vegetable broth.  All the ingredients can be found at our local food co-op, Lost River Market & Deli.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

¾ cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth (Use vegetable broth to make this meatless.)

½ cup half-and-half (You could also use heavy cream.)

3/4 cup frozen green peas

3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon rind

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces uncooked penne or other short pasta (I used whole-wheat.)

1 pound (1-inch) diagonally cut asparagus

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add thyme and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Sprinkle mushroom mixture evenly with flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and half-and-half; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add peas, 2 tablespoons cheese, rind, and next 3 ingredients (through pepper); cook 1 minute or until peas are thoroughly heated.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add asparagus to pan; drain. Add pasta mixture to mushroom mixture; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tablespoon cheese.

Amount per serving (If using whole-wheat pasta, there will be more fiber and fewer carbs per serving.)

Calories: 363; Fat: 9.2g; Saturated fat: 3.6g; Monounsaturated fat: 3.8g; Polyunsaturated fat: 0.7g; Protein: 15.5g; Carbohydrate: 57.6g; Fiber: 6.3g; Cholesterol: 14mg; Iron: 5.1mg; Sodium: 507mg; Calcium: 130mg

Oyster Mushroom Soup

Recipe from Magnificent Mushrooms
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Serves 4-6

My husband called me from Lost River Market & Deli this morning to ask if I wanted anything. I said, "Yes, bring me some of those oyster mushrooms!" He brought them home along with the recipe displayed with the mushrooms. I made the soup and it's now officially "Husband-Tested" delicious. Don't forget to get your own Magnificent Mushrooms and the rest of the ingredients at Lost River Market & Deli. It’s a happy day when Lost River Market & Deli has fresh oyster mushrooms! They are so yummy, especially in this rich tasting soup. The oyster mushrooms have a meaty, chewy texture that makes this soup a hearty one. How about making this soup for the next Meatless Monday meal at your house? http://www.meatlessmonday.com/

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 pound Magnificent Mushrooms Oyster Mushrooms, sliced
3 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 jiggers (3 ounces) white port or cream sherry (I used cream sherry.)
3 large egg yolks
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup parsley, minced

Heat the oil and butter in a soup pot. Sauté the onions and the garlic until translucent. Add the mushrooms. Cover and cook on medium heat until mushrooms are tender. Add the broth, tomato paste and sherry. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and then mix in the cheese and parsley. When the 10 minutes is up, dip out about 2 cups of the soup into the bowl of egg yolk mixture. Stir until well blended. Add this mixture back into the soup. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite bread.

Wild Mushroom Potato Gratin

Recipe from Gourmet Magazine September 2003 and Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen
Makes 8 servings

This mild, wet weather has brought us a fabulous array of mushrooms in our woods. Right now, my husband Jim is bringing home bags of chanterelle mushrooms that he has foraged. Lost River Market & Deli has had some as well in their produce section recently brought in by a local forager. We've sauteed most of our mushrooms in a bit of unsalted butter and put them in the freezer for later as recommended by my Internet research. Jim has been thawing them and putting them in his pasta. I made this dish for our friends Bob and Debbie using fresh chanterelles from our woods, crimini mushrooms from Lost River Market & Deli and Simon's potatoes from the Orange County HomeGrown Farmers Market. This was so yummy, I'm planning to use some of the frozen mushrooms later this fall maybe for a Thanksgiving get together. It'll be a big hit!

1/2 lb fresh wild or exotic mushrooms such as chanterelles or shiitakes (discard shiitake stems), trimmed and coarsely chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 lb fresh cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 lb russet (baking) potatoes
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 oz finely grated Gruyère (1 cup)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 400°F.
Cook chanterelles or shiitakes with salt and pepper to taste in 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Cook cremini in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in skillet, stirring, until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes, then transfer to bowl with wild mushrooms. Toss mushrooms with 1 teaspoon garlic.
Peel potatoes and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices (preferably with an adjustable-blade slicer). Bring potatoes, cream, milk, salt, white pepper, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic to a boil in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot, stirring once or twice, then remove from heat.
Transfer half of potatoes to buttered gratin dish with a slotted spoon, spreading evenly. Spread mushrooms evenly over potatoes, then top with remaining potatoes. Pour cooking liquid over potatoes and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake gratin until top is golden brown and potatoes are tender, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Cooks' note: •Instead of using 1/2 lb of 1 type of wild or exotic mushroom, you could use 1/4 lb each of 2 types.