Every summer is a different story for us when it comes to foraging wild foods or collecting fungi. We can try to be in the right forest at the right time, but still go home empty handed. It had been a terribly dry June and July, but a few very spotty rains have perked up the mycelium in a few isolated locations, bringing forth some magnificent flushes of edible and non-edible boletes.
Boletes have a standard cap and stem appearance of a mushroom, but instead of gills on the underside of the cap, there are elongated tubes that can look like a sponge. Boletes come in assorted statures, colors, textures, and can taste fantastically nutty, meaty, cheesy, or are inedible and bitter. Some species have bizarre staining reactions to being cut as well as chemical reactions to the reagent that Robert uses to test them for identification purposes. Bolete identification can be a study in frustration for some, but Robert loves the challenge.
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| photo by Beth Karwowski |
Since Tylopilus alboaters cook up black, I decided to use that characteristic in a black and white palmier cracker. This could be used for any bolete really; we might try it again with Baorangia bicolor which might exhibit a more orange-colored filling.
Black Velvet Bolete Palmiers yield: 48 palmiers
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed but still cold
flour for dusting
3 Tbsp. oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
12 oz. roughly chopped Tylopilus alboaters, or any other firm Boletes, tubes removed if too large
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 c. dry white wine
4 Tbsp water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs
non-stick spray oil or melted butter
Kosher salt or large flaked salt for sprinkling
1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and cook the garlic, shallots, and chopped boletes for 15 minutes, stirring often, until soft.
2. Add the dry white wine, water, thyme, and bay leaves, and simmer over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is evaporated. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves.
3. Place the cooked boletes in the bowl of a food processor, and add the salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and Panko crumbs, and pulse until blended. Puree for about 1 minute, there will still be visible grains. Allow this filling to cool to room temperature; it will thicken considerably.
4. Roll one of the sheets of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is 9" x 15". Spread half of the bolete filling on the puff pastry all the way to the edges. Starting on one of the longer edges, roll up the puff pastry tightly, stopping at the halfway point. Turn the puff pastry around and roll up the other long side until it meets in the middle with the first rolled edge. Wet your finger, and rub it between the two rolls, pressing them together to stick.
5. Flip the rolled puff pastry over so that the rolled edges are on the bottom, and gently squeeze and stretch the log until it is 18" long. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and remaining filling. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for one hour. At this point, the logs can be stored frozen for 6 months, and allowed to thaw slightly before slicing and baking.
6. Heat oven to 400ยบ F. Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper. Remove the puff pastry log from the freezer and using a thin, sharp knife, cut off 1/4" slices. Place them about an inch apart and either spray with cooking oil or lightly brush with melted butter, and sprinkle on some Kosher salt. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until lightly browned and crispy. Cool and store in a dry place.
