Dried Mushrooms: Facts, Fictions and a Recipe
By Dennis Linden
June kicks off the camping season. Whether one defines this summertime tradition as travelling with a kitchen in a backpack, a mobile home, or even a boat, consolidation of foodstuffs is required as well as day-by-day menu planning – it’s all part of this fun pastime. Since fresh mushrooms represent a storage as well as a transportation challenge for the foodie camper wanting more than the traditional campfire rice ‘n beans, Melissa’s line of dried mushrooms is a practical way to bring a touch of gourmet dining experience to the great outdoors.
As a fresh produce industry professional, this writer has always had a negative attitude towards most dried foods, especially produce items and especially mushrooms. Call it an occupational hazard as well as an unfounded assumption that reconstituted dried fungi, no matter the variety, could not possibly match their fresh counterparts in appearance, texture, or flavor. Very wrong, grasshopper. In fact, reconstituted mushrooms not only have a more intense, concentrated flavor compared to fresh mushrooms, a rehydration process that includes a sauté to remove moisture also yields a drier texture than whole fresh mushrooms. So, while it may seem counterintuitive, reconstituted mushrooms hold their shape better in the cooking process.
There is also something to be said for being able to enjoy “roughing it” at one’s campsite with a gourmet ingredient or two, where a fine dining experience is least expected. For instance, and admittedly, there has always been room for a small bottle of fine wine and/or single malt scotch in my backpack, as enjoying the juxtaposition of these adult treats in the wilderness is an extra special part of it all. At half an ounce each, Melissa’s convenient Dried Mushroom packets make it possible to include any one or all nine exotic varieties in a campfire menu plan! For that camp kitchen preparation -- as a rule, 1 ounce (approx. 28g) of dried mushrooms equals about 8 ounces (225g-250g) of fresh, sliced mushrooms. Dried mushrooms weigh roughly one-tenth of their fresh weight, meaning 3 ounces of dried mushrooms can replace 1 pound of fresh sautéed mushrooms! Once reconstituted, use Melissa’s Dried Mushroom as fresh, no difference will be detected over fresh, except for a deeper, more concentrated flavor!
One of the most flexible of all mushroom dishes is the classic Mushroom Duxelles , first created by a French chef in the mid-1600s. It's essentially a mixture of mushrooms cooked down with butter, shallots, thyme and dry sherry. Nowadays, the mixture can be stored for several days in a glass in the fridge. For easy campfire or camp stove preparation, make a small batch on the spot as needed for a single meal over open flame. Blend this tasty mixture into pasta or rice, mixed into campfire scrambled eggs, spread on toast, or top it on a hot baked potato; for indoor use, incorporate as a layer in the famed beef Wellington or as a tasty wonton dumpling filling as demonstrated in this month’s Cookin with Kids’ Duxelles Dumpling recipe.
A Duxelles (pronounced dook-SELL or duck-SELL) is a simple, versatile, deep-flavored go-to spread that will improve each day in the fridge, though a batch seldom lasts overnight! For the camping kitchen, cut down the measures in the recipe below so that all the Duxelles prepared is used up in the meal being prepared to avoid storing leftovers. It is much easier to trek with a batch of dried mushrooms than a batch of finished Duxelles! If that kitchen is being carried, a small container of sherry can be used for multiple meals – get creative!
While Duxelles can be made with one fresh mushroom variety, combining different types of dried mushrooms, as in the recipe below, creates a more profound umami flavor than a one-ingredient fresh mushroom version. The resulting deep flavor certainly evaporated this writer’s dried mushroom prejudices [no pun] with the first tasting. In fact, this culinary paradigm shift has also opened a whole backpack of recipe ideas for my next “clamping” adventure! So, enjoy the trail, as well as a bit of culinary “roughing it” along the way, that blends this centuries-old recipe with modern-day food drying technology. It’s a win-win that sure beats rice ‘n beans under the stars!
Dried Mushroom Duxelles
Yields 6 servings
Ingredients
7** pkgs Melissa’s Dried Mushrooms, .05 oz reconstituted, minced (any variety combination = yield 1½# fresh)
**for this recipe: 3 Dried Shiitake, 2 Dried Morels, 2 Mushroom Medley
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter (3 ounces)
3 Shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
Pinch salt, divided, plus more to taste
Pinch black pepper, plus more to taste
3 Tbsp. dry sherry
6 Tbsp. Soaking liquid
3 tsp. fresh thyme, minced finely
Preparation
Rehydrate dried mushrooms in hot water or vegetable broth for 20–30 minutes. Remove mushrooms, strain soaking liquid through a fine mesh, and set aside for later use. Mince the mushrooms with a knife.
Sauté the shallots and the butter until the shallots are translucent, for about 1 minute. Add the sherry and cook for a minute, then add the mushrooms, the soaking liquid, thyme, and salt to taste. Cook on medium flame until the liquid is evaporated, about 10-15 minutes.
When almost all the liquid is evaporated, place it in a container in the fridge, uncovered. Once the mixture is totally cooled, cover it with plastic wrap until needed. A batch of Mushroom Duxelles should be eaten within 3 days or frozen.
