The versatility of wild mushrooms astounds me! There are so many ways to make use of the seemingly vast array that grow in the UK. Freshly cooked, dehydrated, powdered, added to desserts, candied, infused in booze, fermented into wine, eaten raw in the woods as you gently amble along searching for your intended & unintended fungal quarry.
Medicinal applications too, are another aspect of wild fungi, species such as Chaga, Turkey Tail, Reishi, Hen of the Woods & Jelly Ear are all well documented for their medicinal qualities (oh how we are kept in the dark on this by the authorities & health services): food is medicine, medicine is food.
This post isn't about delving into all of the above but is about a fantastic boozy infusion, created using 4 specific species (research, knowledge & experience will provide you with alternatives to this recipe).
I'm upping this recipe due to various online requests in response to my recent post. The following drink is highly alcoholic, so do treat it with the respect it deserves. I've had chefs mistake this infusion for a fine french brandy, it certainly has qualities similar to brandy but contains neither brandy nor was produced via distillation like brandy is.
This elixir tastes & smells of the forest, of the earth, of nature, of the season, with notes of mushrooms that aren't too overpowering but nonetheless fungal...
Words of advice to any mycophobes out there, try it before you turn your noses up at it.
Ingredients:
70cl Vodka
Fresh Penny Buns - sliced
Fresh Chanterelles - sliced
Chaga - powdered
Turkey Tail - chopped
Place your mushrooms in a clean kilner jar, add the vodka, close the lid, leave for as long as you like before straining, decanting & drinking. Feel free to shake the jar from time to time, open it up and have a sniff, a sneaky tipple, allow your nose and tongue to keep up to date on its steady evolution. I've left contents in the jar for over a year, topping up with fresh fungi & vodka at intervals. No single infusion will be the same, it will be in constant flux, much like nature is...
Enjoy as shots alongside your favourite food with family & friends, or while hunting in the woods.
Add to foraged cocktails to give you a taste of something aside from the ordinary. It works very well in my: Autumn & Everything is Fungi-Dory Cocktail featured on the Botanist Gin website: https://www.bruichladdich.com/gin-cocktails/autumn-everything-fungi-dory/
Use to flambay mushroom dishes such as in this simple yet tasty Hen of the Woods dish: https://edible-leeds.blogspot.com/2018/09/hen-of-woods-recipe.html
If your developing an interest in wild fungi and are feeling a tad confused about which species are which, why not join me on one of my upcoming autumn fungi courses: https://edible-leeds.blogspot.com/p/wild-food-and-foraging-courses-2018.html
For an alternative take on this infusion have a look at this recipe from Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods: https://www.bruichladdich.com/gin-cocktails/cha-cha-bomb/
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