Iron Chef - Mushrooms

For my second installment of the Iron Chef challenges, I was asked by Tesha to compose a meal that featured mushrooms in every dish.

I didn't always like eating mushrooms (in fact I avoided them like the plague until about six years ago), but I have grown to become a fungi fanatic, so I was very much looking forward to this meal.  I knew one of the dishes that I would make, but the others would be brand new ventures.

For the first course, I decided to make my version of what is hands down my favorite mushroom dish I've ever had.  The Momofuku Ssam Bar Warm Mushroom Salad is made up of two types of mushrooms (hon shimeji and king oyster), puréed pistachio nuts braised in dashi, red ball radishes and pickled crosnes, which are very small, crisp, tan-skinned white tubers in the mint family with a nutty, artichoke-like flavor.  

The Momofuku Masterpiece

Since a dish with the same ingredients would be nearly impossible to source, I decided to make do with what I had.  I chopped up a half pound of oyster, shitake and cremini mushrooms and sautéed them with a handful of smashed pistachio nuts and a bit of butter, salt and fresh ground black pepper.  After the mushrooms had begun to turn golden brown, I added in very thin slices of baby radish for color, texture and flavor.

Normally, the dish is served with mushroom and pistachio cream to serve as a dressing of sorts for this nontraditional salad.  I decided to change it up and add a bit of unctuous goodness to this otherwise staid, subtle salad by spreading some mushroom paté on the plate before adding the warm mushrooms to it.  The idea was that the paté would "melt" a bit onto the mushrooms and round out the dish.

Warm Mushroom Salad, Mushroom Pate, Baby Radish

While the paté didn't completely melt into a buttery dressing, it did coat the mushrooms in its fatty, flavorful self sufficiently to work as both a lubricant and flavor agent.  The mushrooms were excellent, with each type showing off its individual flavor and texture while still pairing well with its "salad" dance partners.  

This was certainly a success, but I think it can be improved upon with a bit of future experimentation.

For my next trick, I chose to do a dish I came up with in college that I consider one of my best original recipes. It's a decidedly different pizza that had yielded spectacular results in past makings.

The pizza starts with whatever crust you choose (pita, flatbread, traditional dough, puff pastry), seasoned with garlic powder, salt and pepper, and rubbed with an 80%/20% mixture of olive oil and truffle oil for lubrication and flavor.  Next, a handful of Monterrey Jack and Cheddar Cheeses are layered onto the doughy vessel.  

Here's where things get interesting.

I then take duck confit, shred the meat (and set aside) and use the fatty skin to flavor cremini (baby portabello) mushrooms that I sauté with it.  After the mushrooms are golden brown, I toss in the shredded meat, cook for another 4 minutes and then allow the mixture to chill together for an hour to meld flavors before topping the aforementioned pie.

Pulled Duck, Cremini Mushroom, Truffle Oil Flatbread Pizza

As usual, the duck fat gives the creminis a full, rich flavor that is only enhanced by the pulled duck itself and the truffle oil.  Crispy crust and gooey melted cheeses make this fun for the mouth texturally as well.  

It is fairly rich as far as pizzas go, so two slices (depending on the dough used) would certainly be considered an entree sized portion.

For the third course, I decided to go a bit more traditional and pair the mushrooms with one of their usual cohorts.  The dish would be a cinnamon chile spiced, pan seared rib-eye steak layered with grilled portabello mushrooms.

Pan Seared Cinnamon Chile Rubbed Rib-eye Steak and Grilled Portabello

Tesha called this her favorite dish of the night, and while I preferred the first two dishes, it was pretty good.  Mushrooms and steak are a timeless combination and this was no exception. However, I was surprised how well the cinnamon worked with the mushrooms, giving the dish a depth of flavor that I didn't expect.  If only I had consulted Seinfeld... 

To end our exploration of the fungus kingdom, I attempted to make a passable dessert featuring mushrooms, though I had never seen one on any menu.

I looked at a few recipes that I saw on Mycophagy websites and came up with a plan I figured wouldn't be entirely repulsive. 

I sautéed sliced white button mushrooms in brown butter with cinnamon and ginger for about seven minutes.  I then let the mixture cool in the refrigerator for a few hours before mixing the concoction with Greek yogurt, almond dust (pulverized almonds), and clover honey.

Button Mushrooms, Cinnamon, Ginger, Honey, Almond Dust, Greek Yogurt

This dish didn't work out quite like I had planned.  

The mushrooms themselves were actually pretty good, but they did not mesh with the yogurt in the least.  It wasn't horrible by any means, but let's just say neither of us finished our portions.

It was a happy failure though as it meant that I had tackled Tesha's task.  Four courses featuring mushrooms; dessert included.