What to do with... girolles

One ordinary morning in June, my dealer texted me. "The delivery has arrived" he said, "straight off the plane". "How much do you want ?". "A kilo", I replied, thinking I would have no trouble dealing with that much. We met in a secret underground location (an MTR station, at rush hour), for the delivery. I made sure to bring sufficient cash to pay on the spot (even if this shipment had come straight from the "wholesaler", this stuff is not cheap...) and walked away with my big anonymous grey bag, hiding its precious content from the eyes of my fellow commuters... I am talking about mushrooms, of course, and not of the magic type.

Girolles are not fun to clean, especially baby ones like these... It takes about half an hour to clean 200gr, which is about what you will need for a good omelette...

Baby girolles, before cleaning...

Omelette aux girolles, cooking...

A simple country-style omelette (girolles sauteed in butter, eggs beaten with a bit of crème liquide, thinly chopped chives, freshly ground black pepper)

Auntie Froggie's poulet aux girolles (cream sauce with cognac and shallots, served with fresh tagliatelle)

Omelette with fresh girolles (serves 2)

50gr fresh girolles, cleaned

4 eggs

10cl liquid cream (“crème fleurette”)

10 blades chives, thinly chopped

25gr butter

salt, freshly ground black pepper

·       Heat the butter in a pan, sautée the girolles until cooked (about 8 to 10mn depending on size).

·       Beat the eggs with the cream, add salt and pepper to taste.

·       Pour over the mushrooms and cook on medium heat until the top of the omelette starts to set.

·       Fold in half and slide the omelette on a plate. Garnish with the chives and serve piping hot with a green salad topped with fresh goat’s cheese and seasoned with walnut oil and a few drops of good balsamic vinegar.

Poulet aux girolles (serves 2)

½ chicken, cut in 2 pieces, or 2 chicken thighs (or whatever your favourite part of the chicken is)

2 small shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

20cl liquid cream (“crème fleurette”)

10cl “Vin Jaune” or other sweet white wine

5cl cognac

20gr butter

salt, freshly ground black pepper

·       In a cocotte, heat the butter and stir-fry the shallots until translucent (do not let them brown).

·       Remove the shallots, add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides.

Pour the cognac over the chicken, let it heat up for a few seconds and when it starts boiling slightly, light it up with a match or a gas lighter (be careful if you have a hood above your stove!). Once the flame is out, add the white wine and the cream, season to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30mn, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked (if you stab it near the bone with a knife, the juices should run clear), stirring occasionally.

·       Serve with fresh tagliatelle or gnocchi.