Cooking with exotic mushrooms ...

Cooking with exotic mushrooms can be exciting, but without a little knowledge it can be disappointing.  White or button and crimini mushrooms are pretty forgiving and work well in almost any application calling for the fungi; however, when you venture into the world of the more exotic varieties the resulting flavor can be bitter if you're not careful.

Here is the real key to cooking multiple varieties of mushrooms: Cook each variety separately.  They all have different cooking times and need to be treated individually.  Once they are all cooked, set them aside. You can quickly re-heat them all together in the same pan at the time of service. The result is a meal like no other.

Tonight's meal paired some exotic mushrooms with fresh pasta (of course I made the pasta) and grilled chicken breast.  You can make a great appetizer or vegetarian main course with just the mushrooms and pasta.  The salad was a celebration of summer with white wine poached pears, more mushrooms and Parmesan cheese over spinach.  What makes the salad is peeling the pears and sautéing the mushrooms.

Salad: Spinach with white wine poached pears,  sautéed mushrooms, and finished with a white wine vinaigrette and shaved Parmesan cheese. (Left)

Grilled Chicken with Pasta:  Lightly seasoned grilled chicken breast served with fresh pasta and a medley of seared exotic mushrooms.  (Right)







Let's talk a little about what mushrooms are out there and while availability can sometimes be challenging, never opt for   dried versions for any application other than maybe a soup.  There are over 10,000 varieties of mushroom, of which only about 4% are edible and have been identified as safe to eat.  1% will kill you, so don't go foraging about unless you are an expert or with one. There are probably about 20 that are more common and available in most parts of the country.

The following list includes those mushrooms that I really like to cook with.  This is based on flavor and coolness factor.  Come on, who doesn't want to tell their guest they are eating  hen-of-the-woods or blue oysters.  Here is my list. (I'll work on taking some photos and update the entry in the future): shiitake, white oyster, morel, chanterelle, hen-of-the-woods, black trumpet, blue oyster, and lobster.

You might have noticed that portabella, or portobello if you like, is missing from the list.  Actually no, portabella, as the Mushroom Council likes to call them, are simply big crimini mushrooms.  So they are up at the top with the button mushrooms.

Now that we have some favorites, at least my favorites, it's time to talk about preparation.  Please do not cook these amazing bits of culinary delight in any other manner than to sear them.  Take some time to rinse all of the "debris" off the mushrooms and cut about a 1/4" off the stem.  Cut out any damaged areas on the cap.  Cut the mushrooms into pieces, but try to preserve the character it has. I often just cut them in half through the cap and stem.

Place an adequately size sauté pan on high heat; the size is such that all of the mushrooms are in contact with the bottom of the pan. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil and butter or if available just clarified butter for each cup of cut mushrooms. Place the cut mushrooms in the pan, toss quickly to coat and season with a little salt.  Then don't touch it, let the heat and fat do its work on the mushrooms.  Caution: you have to be vigilant in your watch; cooked too long and they will be bitter or carbon.  Your goal is to cook them to where they just start to get a golden brown exterior.  You may have to toss them a few times to keep them from burning and that's fine.  Your efforts will be rewarded with flavors that rival some of the best steaks.

Beverages: The salad course was all about the pear's poaching liquid - Pinot Gris.  I used my last bottle of Whitestone Winery's 2010 Not Whitestone (refer to Whitestone review April 03, 2012).  For the main course we moved to a Flying Goat Cellars 2009 Pinot Noir - Garey Ranch Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley AVA.  I really like this wine.  It was first introduced to me in 2003 by one of my best friends and flight instructor who bought it for me somewhat as a joke when I was just a rookie pilot; has to do with flying, a goat, and Gary Larson's "The Far Side" cartoon.

For those who are wondering why this is funny, it's a pilot thing.  They are flying in the clouds, the goat is standing on a mountain, the mountain they are about to run into. Spatial disorientation.

Wine Suggestions -
Salad: The pears were poached in a Pinot Grisso another bottle would be a nice match.  You could also go with a Gewurztraminer or Viognier for a little more floral note.  The strength of the pears and earthiness of the mushrooms would allow a German style white Riesling.  Just stay away from anything that has residual sugar; meaning sugar sweet or dessert wines. You could go with a red if you poach your pears in the same.
Entrée: The trick here is to complement the rich and earthy flavor of the mushrooms without losing the chicken.  Don't worry about the pasta as it is neutral for pairing purposes.  You could carry over the Pinot Gris or Viognier from the salad; a Chardonnay would also complement nicely.  The chicken was grilled, so it can hold up to a medium to medium plus bodied red.  For me this meal calls for a Burgundy Red - Pinot Noir.  An Australian Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon would also be a nice match. Stay away from a Zinfindel or Merlot as they will over power the meal's unique flavors.

Deciphering The Wine Label ...

The June issue of Spokane Coeur d'Alene Living Magazine includes a great article on understanding the basics of wine labels by a brilliant and enlightening author.
Page 188-189  http://spokanecda.com
Thank you Barrister Winery for the use of their label in my article. 

The Perfect Burger ...

The perfect burger to go with the perfect beer, my Summer Ale of course.  So what makes a burger so special?  Is it the seasoning, how its cooked, the addition of eggs and bread crumbs, or the manufacturer of the frozen patty?

The answer is almost none of the above, how you cook you burger does make the burger something special or just another piece of charred meat.  What makes a burger special is that it has just the right amount of flavor balanced with just the right juiciness and cooked just right to achieve a deep golden brown crust.

I use three cuts of beef - sorry the veggie burger is another blog topic, today is all about "beef".  The equal combination of short ribs, skirt or flatiron steak, and rib-eye result in a ground product that shapes well, holds together, has the right amount of fat, and the flavor is delicious!

The Perfect Burger: Fresh ground meat, seared in a cast iron skillet and finished in the oven.  Garnishes are Canadian bacon, white onion, cheddar cheese, and my Backyard BBQ sauce. (Left)








Since we are having perfect burgers with the perfect beer, there can be no other side than perfect onion rings - sounds like the perfect backyard meal.  I use yellow onions for the rings, they have a sweetness that comes out as they are cooked.  The batter is made with beer or soda water, if you prefer; however, to achieve the light crisp outer coating you need carbonation in the liquid.  The other key to good onion rings is that you need to dust the onion with flour before you dredge it through the batter.  This will absorb any remaining moisture on the cut onion.  Moisture turns to steam at high temperatures, which for us means our crunchy light coating is going to fall off and that makes for a sad onion ring.  The dusting also provides an opportunity to introduce a little flavor.  I add a little sweet or Hungarian paprika to both the dusting flour and the batter.  Finally make sure you are using oil that is still good heated to 380 degrees.

To feed the angry mob while I finished preparing everything else I made a great and sort of healthy dip. For most of my sour cream based dips I use non-fat plain Greek yogurt instead.  I like the flavor it provides when combined with the other flavors.  Plus it's yogurt, which "they" say is better for us than sour cream - sorry Sour Cream Council.  This is a blue cheese chive dip served with homemade potato chips.  For a more elegant appetizer before a meal, you can present it with waffle chips instead.

Blue Cheese Chive Dip: Non-fat plain Greek yogurt combined with crumbled blue cheese and fresh chopped chives.  Served with homemade potato chips. (Right)






For dessert it was traditional sundaes with vanilla or mint-chip ice cream topped with homemade hot fudge and caramel, finished with a dollop of whipped cream and toasted almonds.  I would suggest putting the beer down for a few minutes at this time.  While the Summer Ale is the perfect summer beer, let the sundae stand on its own and hydrate with a little water.

I would discuss beverage options as I usually do, but I think we all know this is really all about my beer.  Other beverages that would be suitable include other peoples' beer, soda - maybe some of the new cool gourmet sodas, iced tea, lemonade or a glass of Merlot or Spanish Tempranillo.

Beer ...need I say more?

In honor of a successful brewing event, that resulted in a perfect Summer Ale, I felt it to be a good time to talk a little about "Beer".

My Summer Pale Ale (left)



Beer: an alcoholic beverage made from a malted grain, water, hops, and yeast.

Today other flavors may be added, such as spices, flower extracts, and fruit.





The basic beer making process is to take some grain and malt it; the grain is steeped in water then allowed to germinate or start to bud and dry.  The dried grain is milled (now called Grist) and added to hot water to extract the sugar from the grain (the mixture is called Mash).  The liquid is separated from the remaining solids and heated again.  During this process flavoring is added, such as hops. While the grain provides the sugar for yeast to convert into alcohol, the hops add aroma, bitterness, and a slight tannin backbone.  A little side note, the use of hops to beer is a more recent addition.  The hops also act as a preservative that allows the beer to be stored.

The liquid is then placed in a very sterile container, using very sterile equipment, with a little yeast.  The mixture is slightly agitated and left to ferment; convert the sugar to alcohol.   The process takes about 2 weeks to fully ferment.  The beer, yes we have beer at this point, a little sugar, honey, or agave nectar is added to wake up the yeast.  This secondary fermentation gives the beer its carbonation, which is what allows for the beer to have a head when poured.  The beer is then racked, the process of moving the beer from the fermentation container to the storage containers, and sealed.  The new beer needs to sit quietly in the dark for another 10-12 days before it is ready to drink.

So now that we know how to make beer, let's talk a little about the two types of beer - Lager and Ale. There are numerous sub-categories withing these two styles.  The main difference is that Lagers ferment from the bottom and Ales use yeast that ferment from the top.  Lager's are fermented much cooler than Ales. Lagers are lighter in color and have a light body.

Classic Lagers have their roots in Holland and Germany. Corona brand from Mexico is actually a pale lager or American lager style beer; the distinctive aroma of Corona comes from the hops exposure to light in the clear bottle.  The reason a lime is served with Corona is to mask the hops odor, not to keep flies away.  That's why most beer is placed brown/amber bottles or cans.

The rest of beer falls into the Ale category.  Pale Ales, Stouts, Porters, Belgian Beers, and Wheat Beer are all Ales.  They tend to be heavier in mouth feel and stronger in flavor, especially hops - bitterness.

What gives a beer its personality is the combination of grains, hops, and flavoring.  There are many different grains that can be used and those grains can be non-toasted or toasted to difference levels.  There are just as many different varieties of hops. Combining different grains in different proportions with hops in varying amounts, added at different times in the Boil process, allows for a near infinite number of recipes to make beer.  Just remember to take good notes while you're brewing so you can replicate the recipe again.

I'm thinking a nice burger and onion rings would go well with my Summer Ale...

And for something a little different ...

Sokol  Blosser Winery:  Evolution, 15th Edition

9 Varietal White Blend        12% Alcohol

On a recent outing I was looking for something cool and crisp for a warm afternoon.  It just wasn't a red wine moment, so I purused the white wine selections and came across this interesting named wine from Oregon.  I must say I am a little familiar with Sokol Blosser Winery, but have never had the opportunity to enjoy their non-vintage Evolution blend.

Appropriately named, Evolution, is a culmination of sifting through numerous grape varieties to blend together just 9 in harmony.  Previous editions have been labeled "Lucky"; however, I feel certain that with the attention to detail in all Sokol Blosser wines, there was a bit a science behind the selections.  Either way, I am glad they decided to take the journey that resulted in this great white blend.

The winery is located in Dundee, Oregon with the vineyards in the same region, which is part of Oregon's Willamette Valley.  A cool growing region, white wines build a nice crisp acid that balances with the richness of the unique soil of the region.  However, the wine is not labeled with the Willamette Valley AVA or Oregon regional designation.  This means that the more than 15% of the grapes are from outside of the Valley and more than 25% of the grapes are from outside of the state.

While the exact blend is closely held by those in the inner circle, I made a best effort to pick out the grape varietal profiles.  As the wine changes temperature, hits the air, and fills your mouth each component reveals itself to you.  The 9 varietals that make up the blend are:  Pinot Gris, Muller-Thurgau, White Riesling, Semillon, Muscat Canelli, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, and Sylvaner.   The Pinot Gris is most evident followed by the aromatic floral elements of the Sémillon and Gewurtztraminer, with Chardonnay helping to round out the body. The wine is similar to the Edelzwicker wines of Alsace in France; however, don't be confused - this is a much more elegant wine than many of the Edelzwickers.

Evaluation:

Sight - the wine is visually clear with a star bright reflectivity.  The light straw cores cuts to a golden youthful rim.  The moderate legs indicate a viscosity closer to 13% alcohol, indicative of an expectation for a medium plus body on the palate.

Smell - the wine was a little closed (served a little too cold), but as I warmed it with my hands it opened up nicely and was clean, free of any faults.  The initial nose is peach blossom and white pear, giving a hint that perhaps Pinot Gris is in the mix.  As the wine warmed and opened the floral component of rose water peeked through from the Gewurztraminer rounded out with crisp tropical citrus fruits.

Taste & Touch - the wine is medium bodied in the mouth, the acid pulls the body back from getting to heavy.  The lychee and pink grapefruits, reminds me of Texas Ruby reds, bring forward the Muscat to the palate, but the pleasant mineral aspect of the wine hints towards the Sémillon.  The fruit forward nose is carried into the palate with crisp pear and melons.

Conclusions: 

In the end you have a complex fruit foward, nicely acidic, and medium bodied wine.  The alcohol and roundness will hold up to a main course, but to really enjoy all the wine has to offer pair it with an appetizer or just enjoy a glass by itself on the veranda. Think light seafood dishes or spice; it would go great with a lobster canapé (see Cooking with friends...).   Asian foods, including sushi would be a nice pairing.  The wine is certainly a drink now and I wouldn't hold it more than 12 months; as if anyone could show that much restraint.
Price: $13-$17 (retail)   $25-38 (restaurant)