Mushrooms

Not so long ago, most Americans were suspicious of anything other than the standard white mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. Nowadays, cremini mushrooms, which look like basic white mushrooms but are brown, are popular. They contain less water than white mushrooms and have more flavor. Wild mushrooms have become almost standard ingredients in upscale shops and with fancy wholesalers. Wild mushrooms, especially morels and cèpes (porcini), lend a magnificent complexity to sauces. When dried, a mushroom or two will flavor a large amount of soup or stock. They are magnificent, reconstituted in a duxelles or when used to make mushroom cooking liquid.