Thursday, January 28, 2010

King Oyster Mushroom Scallops on Melted Leeks topped with Apple & Cucumber Slaw

I'm still not sure about the texture of king oyster mushrooms. They are chewy. That is to say, they take a lot of chewing, which is a little weird for us vegetarians. So this time I decided to braise them in a mixture of butter, white wine, garlic, and parsley. I left them in a dutch oven for about three hours, and they still were not as tender as I'd like. They were delicious, and I think I'm on the right track; maybe they need more time, or maybe I need to turn up the heat a bit. I really don't know quite yet, but I'll get there. I may ditch the whole braised idea and sous vide it next time...if only I knew how.

+++Update+++ 12/09/10

No need to braise them. Just drizzle them in olive oil, and sear them in a hot pan for about 3 minutes per side.

Here I served the scored and seared mushrooms on a bed of caramelized leeks. The slaw of English cucumber and organic apple was simply dressed in equal parts honey and rice vinegar. I garnished the dish with parsley leaves and drizzled the whole thing with ponzu.

3 comments:

Lindsay-Jean said...

Just stumbled upon your blog today, and everything looked so good that I had to immediately go back and read through all of the archives in one sitting. Have bookmarked a number of recipes that I can't wait to try. Thanks for the delicious looking inspiration!

Unknown said...

Wow, that looks beautiful and delicious!

Beth said...

I know this is a really old post, but I wanted to comment that sliced king oyster mushrooms marinated then cooked on a wire rack in a really hot oven until some nice brown forms are really tender and delicious. Even non-mushroom eaters love them when I make them like that.