Fung and I have been friends for a long time, I can’t remember exactly the first time I met her, but I think my mom might have introduced us. Ever since we met, it has been good times all the time. She never fails to amaze me with her earthy undertones and her constant reminder of how generous the gods can be.

What I love most about her is her diversity and ability to go into any situation and truly bring the best out of herself, but most importantly, Fung knows better than anyone how to be a team player. Most of the time she’s been cast in the supporting role rather than the lead. It’s her adaptability and lack of being an attention whore that makes her so balanced, her talent speaks for itself, it is not forced.

The truth is Fung has a lot to of offer, and I’ve come across many people in my life who don’t like her, I always give them the side eye when they talk about how much they hate her earthiness. What they fail to realize is that the earthiness she so strongly encompasses is exactly why I can’t stay away from her. The only downside to it is that she does tend to get a little dirty, and due to her dainty nature she often has to be delicately brushed. So whenever she comes over we always hang out in the kitchen and I take my wooden brush and gently brush the dirt off her shoulders and then she’s ready to shine.

Fung and I have played around a lot throughout the years, she’s become somewhat of a muse; the narcissist in me believes she’s been put on this earth solely for my pleasure.  It is for this reason that I decided to dedicate this story to my love for Fung, and how much I appreciate our years of adventure, experiments and absolute harmony. According to hieroglyphics, the Egyptians use to see her as a symbol of immortality; the Pharaohs were so fascinated by her that no commoner was allowed to mingle with her. She’s so special that her mere presence is vital to the rehabilitation of forests, even though she could be very toxic at times.

Ok, so by now you can see my slight obsession with mushrooms has gotten to the point where I’m humanizing a fungus and pretending like she’s my friend, but I just can’t help it. Every time I eat mushrooms I feel like I’m eating the earth and getting one step closer to nature. One type in particular, Truffles, are inexplicably my favorite fungi put on this earth. If I were given one last meal it would be a big plate of fatty bone marrow with white and black truffles shaved on top. Affording them is another story, so as an alternative I always keep a stash of really good white truffle oil in the kitchen. I find different excuses for putting it on top of everything from grilled cheese sandwiches, soups, popcorn and especially eggs, Truffles and eggs have an incredible marriage of flavors.

This Mushroom Ménage à trois consists of  three recipes that allow Fung to shine. All three help bring her flavor out as much as possible.  The first one is a Truffled Wild Mushroom  Cream soup followed by the Goat Cheese, Phyllo, Mushroom Cups and lastly the Pomegranate Shitake Mushrooms. I hope that I do her justice with these recipes, I felt compelled to pay homage to her and give her back some of that love she’s bestowed upon me for so long.

Notes: Mushrooms should never be washed because their spongy texture retains water easily and when cooked it greatly affects the texture, so they should be brushed gently with very little water on the brush. I also like my mushrooms al dente like pasta to help avoid a mushy texture, Pomegranate Molasses can be found in most Middle Eastern stores or here.

Wild Mushroom Cream Soup

Yield 4 servings

4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large shallot, finely diced

3 small garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 ½ – 2  lb. mushrooms such as shitake, cremini, portabella, oyster and white button, cleaned, stems removed and sliced 1/8 inch thick

4 -6 c. low sodium chicken stock

4 fresh sage leaves, 3 whole, 2 chopped

1 tbsp thyme, chopped

1 ½ tsp chives, chopped

1 c. heavy cream

1/3 c. dry vermouth or white wine

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp cold water

2 tbsp truffle oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium (3-5 quart) saucepan heat butter and olive oil, add shallots and sauté until opaque, add vinegar and let shallots caramelize for 1 minute and add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
2. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté for 8-10 minutes, then add chopped sage and thyme.
3. Add vermouth, cook for 1 minute and add chicken stock, cover pot reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (can be made one day ahead)
4. Lower temperature to a simmer and with an immersion blender, blend soup mixture in pulses to completely chop up mushrooms (this will also thicken the soup). (note – if you are using regular blender instead be EXTRA careful! Only add a couple of cups of soup mixture to blender at a time because the high heat of the mixture will form steam and make the blender “explode” with hot soup).
5. Once blended well, add heavy cream and two whole sage leaves, stir to combine well and bring back up to temperature slowly
6. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl and stir to make a slurry. Add to soup and stir to combine completely add salt and pepper to taste, cook for 5-7 minutes on low and serve immediately.

To serve garnish each soup with chopped chives and add 1 tsp of truffle oil to each serving.

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Phyllo Cups

Yield 6 servings

1 box Phyllo dough

1 Muffin pan

2 lbs mushrooms such as shitake, cremini, portabella, white button, brushed, stems removed chopped to a medium to small dice.

4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves minced

2 ½ tbsp Marscapone cheese (chilled)

2 ½ tbsp Goat cheese (chilled)

1 ½  tbsp fresh thyme, chopped or whole leaves

1 ½ tbsp parsley chopped

Filo:

Preheat oven to 420 degrees.

1. Thaw Phyllo dough for 45 minutes to an hour, roll out slowly making sure not to break the sheets. Phyllo can dry quickly so cover remaining sheets with a damp towel while cutting strips.

2. Line sheets on a flat surface and taking 5 sheets (stuck) together cut 4 inch wide strips.

3. Depending on the size of your muffin pan, cut strips 4 inches in length, making sheets 4 x 4.

4. Melt 1-2 tbsp butter, lightly brush the insides of muffin pan and place Phyllo sheets in each pan hole gently pressing down and turning you hand counterclockwise at the same time, to shape sheets into each mold.

5. Lightly brush the inside of each Phyllo cup (the butter helps bind the sheets together). Place in the oven on the third rack and bake to a light golden brown for 3-4 minutes, watch carefully as Phyllo tends to burn very quickly. Set aside and cool.

Mushroom Filling:

1. In a medium sauté pan melt 2 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp of olive oil, add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
2. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 1 minute, add the marscapone and goat cheese, mix until filling becomes creamy.
3. Spoon filling into each Phyllo cup, sprinkle with parsley and thyme and serve.

Pomegranate Shitake Mushrooms

Yield 4 servings

2 lbs Shitake mushrooms, brushed, stems taken off and chopped into 1/3 inch.

2 stalks leek, washed, green stems removed, cut lengthwise and chopped thin.

1 ½ tbsp butter

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp white wine vinegar

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp Pomegranate molasses

2 tbsp Pomegranate seeds

salt to taste

1. In a medium sauté pan melt ½ tsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil, add leeks and sauté on medium heat until opaque, add vinegar and cook for 1-2 minutes.
2. Lower heat, add the brown sugar and mix well allowing leeks to caramelize, remove from heat and transfer leeks to a bowl.
3. In the same sauté pan, melt 1 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp of olive oil and sauté mushrooms al dente about 2-4 minutes add salt and cayenne pepper and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add leeks and pomegranate  molasses to the mushrooms and stir well. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve.

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