Cooking Class with Chef Ivan Flowers Lesson 29 - Mushrooms

Last week you learned how to prepare a perfect rack of lamb. I do hope that many of you surprised your families with this dish! This week we are going to cover mushrooms.

I know that there are many people out there that THINK that they don’t like mushrooms. I say, “Think,” because for most of them it is not the flavor, it is the texture. I love mushrooms, but when they are improperly cooked, I can’t eat them. So, there is a way to make mushrooms that have an incredibly meaty texture instead of a slimy and spongy texture. That is the technique you will learn in this week’s class.

Before we start cooking, let’s learn about mushrooms. Mushrooms are like little sponges, they will soak up large amounts of water and oil. This is what leads to that horrible texture. So, the first step in cooking meaty mushrooms starts before they even hit the pan. That step is to not wash them. If you wash them, they will soak up tons of water and you will never be able to cook it all out. Mushrooms are already full of water; you don’t want to add any more. Instead of washing them, simply wipe them clean with a damp towel.

Now, the technique I’m going to show you works well with a sturdier mushroom, so you can use: white button, portobello, shitake, lobster and crimini. It does NOT work well with the more delicate mushrooms: maitake, king trumpet, chanterelle and hen of the woods.

Let’s get cooking.

This recipe will serve four people. This is what you will need: one pound mushrooms, large sauté pan, ¼ cup canola oil, two tablespoons garlic puree (equal parts garlic & canola oil put in a blender), two tablespoons finely chopped mixed fresh herbs (basil, thyme & tarragon), one tablespoon unsalted butter, salt, pepper and 1/8 cup wine (red or white).

The key to deliciously meaty mushrooms is high heat and no salt or pepper until AFTER they are cooked. Why? The high heat allows the water to come out of the mushroom and evaporate. It also allows just the right amount of oil to go in and create fabulous caramelization. If you salted during cooking, that salt would force extra water out of the mushrooms and they would become mealy. If you put pepper during cooking, the high heat would burn it and it would be bitter.

Another key to this technique is to not overcrowd the pan. You must have mushrooms in a single layer, do not have them piled on top of each other. If you must, simply do them in two batches. Believe me; it is well worth the work.

Now, to prep the mushrooms, if they are small, about 1 ½ inches, leave whole. Any larger, cut into uniform pieces so they will cook evenly and remove the stems because they can become woody when cooked. . If you use portobellos, remove the gills, the gills are the black, fan-like things that are on the bottom side of the cap. If you leave them in, all the portobellos will have an unappetizing black color and a slightly bitter taste.

Once you have the mushrooms prepped, put the oil into the sauté pan over high heat. Do not add the mushrooms until you see a little smoke coming from the pan. When the pan is screaming hot, add in the mushrooms in a single layer. Stir the mushrooms while they cook. Cook until they are brown, about four to five minutes. Once they are browned, lower the heat to medium-high and add in the garlic puree. Continue stirring and cook for two more minutes.

Next, push mushrooms to one side of the pan and add the wine. If you don’t want to use wine, you can use a low sodium stock of your choice (vegetable, chicken or beef). Additionally, if you want a heartier, richer flavor, use red wine, if you want a lighter flavor, go for white wine. You push the mushrooms to one side before adding the wine because again, even cooked, mushrooms are sponges, so you want to remove that delicious fond (the roasted brown bits on the bottom of the pan), but you do NOT want to water-log the mushrooms. Once the wine is added, stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the wine or stock is completely evaporated. This is called au sec, a French term meaning, dry.

Next add in the butter and cook until mushrooms are coated. Then add the herbs, stirring to distribute. Turn off the heat and salt and pepper to taste. There you have it, mushrooms even people that don’t like mushrooms will love!

You can serve these immediately; I like them with a little freshly grated Parmesan. They are also great at room temperature or even cold. Use them on sandwiches, on bruschetta, on pizza, etc. The possibilities are endless. They also are the perfect accompaniment to a juicy steak.

As with any technique or recipe, the most important component is the cook’s heart. The heart is what creates delicious flavor.

Chef Ivan Flowers brings 25 years of fine cuisine experience to Top of The Market, San Diego. Prior to becoming Executive Chef at Top of The Market, Chef Flowers owned Fournos restaurant in Sedona, Arizona, named a top 25 restaurant in Arizona. He was also Executive Chef at L’Auberge de Sedona, the AAA Four-Diamond, Four Star award winning restaurant. Flowers has created extraordinary cuisine for some of the finest restaurants in Arizona, including T. Cooks at Scottsdale's Royal Palms Resort and the Phoenician's Mary Elaine's and Different Pointe of View.

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