Hello John!
Sunday August 04 1996 10:12, John Prather wrote to Cheryl Willis:
 ML>> I have just captured a set of instructions on growing
 ML>> morels.
 CW>> younger days in Florida, we had friends from Michigan that would
 CW>> fly to their home state once a year and bring back LOADS of
 CW>> morels... We would have a big Morel Party and eat until we
 CW>> thought we would burst. This would be wonderful to have!
Sigh...
 JP> something you would want to attempt in your kitchen.  VERY, VERY,
 JP> difficult.
I'm not in the least surprised. Mushrooms are after all the above ground 
fruiting bodies of a subterranean organism of extraordinary complexity which 
often lives in symbiosis with plants or trees. To grow them, therefore one 
needs to assemble not only exactly the right soil conditions, but very often 
the right type and amount of living roots, together with very precise 
humidity and temperature. It is really surprising that anyone ever figured 
out how to grow any mushrooms. Fortunately some (padi straw, oyster, 
"cultivated", and shiitake, to name four) are relatively unfussy in their 
requirements. I just wish someone would learn how to grow the Ceasar's Agaric 
(in its European variant).
All the Best
Ian
This is a recipe that I've published before in Cooking, but I don't think 
I've put here before. For those like me, who can't afford large qunatities of 
morels!
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MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02
      Title: Supremes de Poulet aux Morilles
 Categories: Main dish, Poultry, French
      Yield: 4 servings
      4    Chicken supremes *
      1 oz Butter
      1 tb Oil
           Salt & FGB Pepper **
MMMMM---------------------------SAUCE--------------------------------
      4    Morels
    1/2 oz Butter
    1/2 tb Oil
      1 cn Morel sauce 200 ml (opt)
    100 ml Poultry stock
    100 ml Thick cream
     50 ml White wine (full flavoured)
      1 sm Shallot
           Salt & FGB Pepper
  NB * chicken supremes are half breast fillets, (2 per chicken)
  skinned, boned and trimmed.
   ** FGB is an abbreviation for Freshly Ground Black (as in pepper)
  Trim the morels, removing the sandy base of the stem. Slice them
  thickly into 1/2" rings across the cap. Wash thoroughly to remove any
  traces of sand in the interstices of the cap.  Chop the shallot
  finely. In a small pan, melt the sauce butter with the oil, and sweat
  the shallot in it for a couple of minutes over moderate heat. Add the
  morels and raise the heat a bit. cook a couple more minutes till the
  exuded liquid has evaporated and the butter reappears. Add the stock
  and about 3/5 of the cream. Reduce over high heat until the sauce
  forms a liaison. Season lightly and set aside until the last minute.
  In  a frying pan melt the frying butter with the oil, and when the
  foam subsides over fairly high heat, put the chicken supremes -
  unseasoned. Cook briefly both sides till golden  about 2- 3 mins a
  side. DO NOT LET the butter burn. When the supremes are done, make
  sure the butter didn't burn - if it did (crusty bits black instead of
  dark brown) clean the pan and melt a little more butter - just enough
  to film the pan. Pour off excess butter, leaving the crusty bits and
  just enough butter to film the pan. Season the supremes lightly with
  salt and pepper and return to the pan. Cover and reduce heat to
  fairly low.
  Continue to cook for a further 10-15 minutes, turning once or twice
  during the process. They are done when the juices run clear and
  golden if the thickest part of the meat is pricked.  Remove chicken
  and keep warm while finishing the sauce. Pour the wine (Vin Jaune
  d'Arbois or dry oloroso sherry would be ideal) into the pan and over
  maximum heat reduce to a glaze. Add the optional can of sauce (if
  used) and the remaining cream, still over highest heat. Stir with a
  wooden spoon until the sauce begins to thicken (liaise) then tip in
  the sauce base that was previously prepared. Tip in any juices exuded
  by the chicken and cook all together a couple of minutes to reduce
  again if needed. Correct seasoning - a couple of drops of lemon juice
  may prove beneficial if real french creme fraiche wasn't used.
   Arrange the chicken on a serving platter, and pour the sauce over.
  Serve immediately.
  Recipe IMH Georges' Home BBS 2:323/4.4
MMMMM
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--- GoldED 2.50.A0918 UNREG
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