Trying to get back into the blog. I have been cooking a lot of good dishes I think recently but haven't wanted to put the time into sitting down and writing the recipe. Porcini's (Ceps) are prevalent come spring time, a very sought after ingredient and expensive. In Italy they are every where to be found in the fall from what I remember. A very deep and rich tasting mushroom that needs to be bathed in butter. I had bought a bunch of hay from a local animal feed shop in Malibu and decided to smoke the porcini's first lightly and then finish them with some butter in pan. I made a light foam from comte cheese and finished the dish off with jujube tea. This one local farmer has the sweetest dried jujube's and he suggested that I make tea with them. It is a medicinal ingredient in Asia. Here is the recipe I hope you enjoy it.
1 lb of porcini mushrooms
8 oz of beech mushroom
2 small onions sliced thin
4 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 cup of blanched fava beans
3 tbsp of sniped chives
Splash of sherry vinegar
14 jujube dried cut in half
6 cups water
2 bay leafs
1 garlic clove
Comte bechemel
2 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp flour
4 cups of milk warm
4 oz of shredded Comte
2 oz Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic flowers to garnish
For the porcini's,
Cut the porcini's in half and score. Then place them on a tray that fit's into your stove top smoker. Grab a hand full of hay (alfalfa, timothy hay or orchard) or a combination any of them and place them in the bottom of a stove top smoker. Turn the heat on until the hay starts to smoke. Then put the rack on top and tray with the porcini's. Let it cook gently for 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat and allow to sit in the smoker for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile.
For the Comte Bechemel
In a medium sauce pot on medium heat melt your butter in the pan and then add the flour to make a roux once all the butter has completely melted. Stir with a whisk for 1 minute. Then add your warm milk stirring constantly. Bring the milk to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes. The milk should thicken. Once the milk has been thickened to a heavy sauce consistency add both cheeses stirring with the whisk until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a isi canister half way and charge with two N2O cartridges shaking for at least a minute for each cartridge so the air gets distributed evenly . Place your canister in a pot with hot water to keep the foam warm.
For the Jujube Tea,
Cut the dried jujube's in half and remove the seeds. Then place all the ingredients in a pot and bring to boil. Turn down to a very low simmer and let it cook for about 30-45 minutes or until the water has a sweet aroma and flavor. Set aside and keep warm.
To finish the dish,
In a large saute pan add olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter along with porcini's. Cook the porcini's for 4 minutes and then add onions, beech mushrooms, and another tbsp of butter. Let that cook for 5 minutes until the mushroom and onions start to caramelize. Then add 4 oz of the jujube tea to the pan along with a splash of vinegar. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes until there is just a little broth left in the pan. Then finish with the rest of the butter, fava beans, salt, pepper, chives, and maybe another splash of vinegar. Then add a few spoonfuls of the ragu to a serving bowl. Then ladle another 2 oz of tea on top of the ragu. Then take your canister with your comte bechemel and foam cheese foam on top of it all. Finish with chives and garlic flowers. Serve and enjoy!
