James Peterson

Morel or Porcini Oil

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Yield:

    1 quart

Appears in

top 1000Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making

Sauces

By James Peterson

Published 1991

  • About

Most dried mushrooms infuse oil with a surprisingly full-flavored yet delicate aroma, but dried morels and porcini (cèpes) work the best. Dried mushroom oil can be used in salad dressings, pasta sauces, or in emulsified egg, butter, or cream sauces. Mushroom oils can be kept in a cool place for up to 2 weeks.

Ingredients

dried morels or porcini (cèpes), rinsed, patted dry 3 to 6 oz 90 to 175 g
pure olive oil 1½ cups 375 ml
extra-virgin olive oil 3½ cups 875 ml

Method

  1. Combine the mushrooms with the pure olive oil in a blender and purée to a coarse paste, about 1 minute.
  2. Transfer the mushroom-oil paste to a 2-quart (2 liter) saucepan and place over low heat while stirring gently. One minute after the paste starts bubbling, take the pan off the heat and let cool. Alternatively, cook the mushroom-oil paste sous vide at 140°F (60°C) for 12 hours.
  3. Stir the extra-virgin olive oil into the mushroom paste. Strain the mixture through a fine chinois, then again through a strainer lined with a triple layer of cheesecloth or a carefully washed and rinsed kitchen towel.

Copyright © 2017 by James Peterson. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.