Organic Mushrooms for a Green Wedding
By
Ellen Walsh of FBWorld.com
A division of Food and Beverage International
It's your job
to provide the sizzle in your Green Wedding menu suggestions,
so hereís what you can achieve by offering an Organic
and Wild Mushroom Saute Station.
It Fits the Green
Wedding Criteria
Mushrooms are not only natural, they are exquisite jewels of
nature, offering exotic eye appeal with their interesting shapes
and natural shades blending together. Today you can get most
of them grown organically by the right dedicated vendor, offering
that extra assurance of purity. Some mushrooms are available
all year long, such as the beautiful multi colored ruffled looking
Maitake, or the thick stemmed King Trumpet. Shiitakes, Brown
and White Beech and Portabellas can also be counted on to be
available year round, however many of the mushrooms have seasons.
Matching up their availability based on the date of the wedding
is part of what you bring to the table in preparing this Green
feast. Both the Porcinis and the Morels grow in the wild, and
therefore do not come with the organic label. They are only
available during certain months (see
availability chart). If you can get them, it's well
worth the high price tag. The Porcinis bring magic to the table
with their rich, silky substantial flavor profile, and are largely
responsible for the oohs and ahhhs you will be hearing over
and over from satisfied guests. The Morels stand out with their
unusual shape and deep woodsy flavor. As a caterer, having a
source that will overnight ship directly to your front door
regardless of where you are, will keep them fresh as a newly
budded flower all that much longer. We work with such a supplier,
and his current selection can be viewed on our web site at www.fbworld.com.
Stunning to Look
At
Beautiful doesn't cover it but stunning does! Mushrooms span
the color spectrum, and the different shapes and sizes lend
themselves to a beautiful display. You can use any platter,
but I happen to love a large, oversized black cast iron paella
pan to make my point. Visit our gallery of mushrooms at https://www.fbworld.com/Food/mushrooms.html
and scroll down to the bottom of the page for links to the mushroom
recipes and other past articles. Our February 2004 issue of
Food and Beverage International Magazine featured Cooking with
Wild Mushrooms and can be viewed online at https://www.fbworld.com/Archive%20Mags/index.html
. We still have some back issues and would be happy to send
you one at no charge. The photographs are extraordinary! Just
e mail us at ewalsh@fbworld.com.
The chefs we worked with in that issue gave us some incredibly
creative mushroom recipes, and weíd love for you to make
use of them if you can.
Itís Easy
to Prepare
As a caterer, you know there are many ways to prepare mushrooms,
however a sautÈ station is natural and easy, and allows
the guest to capture the unadorned flavor of the different mushrooms.
An added dimension to a Green Wedding might be the offering
of an educational experience in addition to the dining experience.
Offer a table tent of mushroom pictures with their names and
descriptions near the display, and watch the easy interaction
of conversation unfold as guests ask questions and exchange
opinions on the different tastes. Any assistant of yours can
handle this under your watchful eye. Let the guests select which
mushrooms they would like, then simply slice and sauté.
Have your favorite rice already prepared and cooled nearby,
and as your mushrooms come to the desired softness, throw in
a little rice, but not too much. Let the mushrooms be the star.
It will take about the same amount of time as preparing an omelet.
Costs
Mushrooms are pricey, especially the Porcinis and Morels, so
your ability to offer them will depend largely on the budget
you have been given to work with. If you absolutely canít
squeeze the Porcinis into the budget, make sure you include
the Portabellaís, as they will cover for the deep flavorful
part of the taste profile that the Porcinis cover. Costs on
mushrooms change constantly as the season wears on, and understanding
that cycle can be very helpful to your budget.
For that last
minute consideration, Spring White Truffles out of Oregon are
available for another two weeks, and then theyíre gone
till next year.
