Hen of the Woods Recipe

A young and still forming Hen of the Woods.

Hen Of The Woods aka Grifola frondosa, is a late summer to autumn featuring fungus.

It's generally found growing at the base of Oak trees, often older more mature specimens but not strictly so and less frequently found with Beech. Made up of numerous tiered brackets ranging in colour from dark grey/black/purple, to chestnut brown on the topside of the bracket and consisting of white/cream coloured undersides sporting firm sponge-like pores. These brackets hide the more bulky base and central section which is firm, solid and white, this too makes good eating and preserving. It has a desirable aroma of mild mushroom, nuttiness & earthiness, taste wise it rocks! Hen of the Woods is also known for its medicinal qualities, reportedly attracting, binding to and removing heavy metals from the human body - bet your doctor never told you that!
In Japan they go by the name of Maitake and you may hear them referred to as such even in the UK and the Japanese rate them very highly and even make a herbal mushroom tea from the fresh and dried brackets.

Catching site of one of these delightful fungus should generate feelings of total joy and anticipation at the prospect of the tasty meal/s awaiting the fortunate finder. For me, fresh is best and freshly shredded hen, initially dry fried to release juices with the later addition of some butter during the crisping up stage, a touch of smoked salt, a grind of fresh black pepper and fresh thyme, is a dish of simplicity while allowing the flavour of the fungus to be really appreciated. I often find this treatment works well with many fungus and once you have the essential flavour profile of whatever fungus you have, it's then easier to devise other simple or more complex dishes to explore their culinary potentials. Another way is to drizzle a section of hen with olive oil, add some salt & pepper and roast in the oven until the edges of the fronds crisp up, truly delicious!

However, sometimes it goes wrong, as a trial dish of mine did the other night and I felt it only right to rectify the issue and create a dish that would be just as simple to make but taste better, I feel I succeeded in that task.
This is a dish in progress, with elements of the dish requiring the incorporating of flavours of the host tree Hen of the Woods favours, the mighty Oak but first I need to source and process those elements to be.

So, as simple as this recipe is, it's worth making and given that the hens are currently broody and starting to lay, it's the perfect time to get in the kitchen.

Hen of the Woods, Garlic, Cream, Gruyere & Thyme.

Gently dry fry the hen to release the juices, adding a touch of smoked salt to aid the juice extraction. Prior to all the juices evaporating, turn up the heat, add a dash of the mushroom brandy and light it (watch your eyebrows!). Wait until the alcohol vapours burn off and the flames retard and then turn the heat down to medium, add a generous knob of butter, fresh grated garlic, a grind of fresh black pepper and some fresh thyme, stir and cook for two minutes. Add the double cream and stir until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and pop into a dish. Grate some gruyere (or parmesan) cheese over the top, some more pepper, thyme & smoked salt if required. Serve with fresh crusty bread and a glass of nice dry white wine - home brew or shop bought.

Be aware that Hen of the Woods does to your poo, what asparagus does to your wee... but don't let this put you off.

If you're new to fungi or are developing an interest in them why not join me on one of my autumn fungi courses.

Courses info advertised here: https://edible-leeds.blogspot.com/p/wild-food-and-foraging-courses-2018.html