Michel Guérard

Wild Fungi and Dried Mushrooms

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Cuisine Minceur

By Michel Guérard

Published 1986

  • About
Certain edible fungi beloved of the French are specified in the recipes, namely ceps, morels and millers. They are all to be found growing in Northern Europe by those who have an absolutely clear idea of what to look for, but if you are in any doubt about a wild mushroom or fungi-leave it alone.

Ceps (French, cèpes, Latin, boletus edulis) There are several varieties, but basically a cep is a fleshy, round-topped fungus with a thick, fleshy stalk, spongy yellowish or whitish pores underneath and a suede-brown, slimy-soft bulbous cap, to be found beneath pine trees and at the edges of forest rides. Ceps must be picked and eaten young. Discard the spongy pores as, at any rate to my taste, they are a bit too slimy. Ceps are also available - and very good-dried, the best place to look for these is an Italian grocer (or Italian airport), where they are called Porcini.