Pan Fried Mushrooms on Toasted Brioche and Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil

I think for a lot of people mushrooms are either something you love or hate - and I am definitely a lover. In my opinion, the best way to eat mushrooms is to keep it simple and let the complex flavours of the mushrooms speak for themselves. You can of course use mushrooms in everything from soups to salads to stews and stuffing. They are very versatile, so if you don't like them one way keep trying and you will find a preparation that will take you fancy. I recently made a mushroom ragu with red wine served on a creamy mash. The mushrooms filled the place of meat in a ragu perfectly, making a rich and hearty dish. This week however I have chosen two very simple mushroom dishes that I love. The first dish is great for a Sunday mid-morning breakfast. I had paid a visit to the West End markets on Saturday and grabbed a variety of fresh mushrooms including Portobello, Swiss Brown, King Oyster and Enoki. I dropped past Black Pearl Epicure on the way home and picked up some dried Porcini and was going to get some Morels, however at $48.50 for a small handful this was a little too much for me today! They key to this for me is to use plenty of butter and a few sprigs of thyme. Some people want to add a lot of garlic, but keeping it to a minimum stops it drowning out the mushroom flavours. The dish should really bring out the earthy flavours of the mushrooms and smell amazing.



The second dish I chose was a simple mushroom risotto. I have made this dish many, many times and when made well it never disappoints. The three keys to this dish's success is to make your own stock, and keeping it hot so when added it does not cool the dish down. Secondly, is to only add the mushrooms with the last amount of liquid This way they keep their texture but still impart their flavour. The third tip is to leave some texture in the rice, then add a few knobs of butter and parmesan at the end and cover for a few minutes. This finishes off the risotto beautifully and gives an added rich creaminess. One addition to this risotto from the usual was a light drizzle of truffle oil before serving. This really brought to life the mushroom flavours from all the different varieties. Be careful with this though as truffle oil can be overpowering. Of course a shaving of fresh truffles would be ideal but I had none lying around...