Shroom

*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review*

The first thing I have to say about this book is it is beautifully done, the photos are beautiful and the illustrations are lovely. I absolutely love the witty, tongue and cheek writing style...I find often that books that are geared towards the most wonderful kingdom of Fungi are either dry as a three day old Marasmius or bursting with life and wit like a very ripe puffball. There are two kinds of people when it comes to muhsroomers!

I also really love the 'how to use this book' section, not only does it tell you how to use a mushroom cookbook, it also tells you some happy mushroom videos you can watch on how to properly clean and store the fungal friends.

Also, can I just take a minute to note how hilarious the mushroom personality quiz is? I got Black Trumpet, which is also probably my favorite mushroom to eat.

As a cookbook it is top notch! The recipes are clear and they look absolutely delicious. I do wish there were a few more photos alongside the recipes so I can see what they look like finished, I am terrible at visualizing food.

The one reason I am giving this book 4 stars instead of 5 stars is the disclaimer on going out and gathering your own mushrooms. I really feel this should be at the front of the book instead of the end. Perhaps I am biased from my time of leading mushroom hikes, but the first thing people asked me 'will you show me which mushrooms I can eat' or 'hey can I eat this mushroom' as they are holding an amanita muscaria v. Formosa. I would have to give the speech about how it takes years of study before you can safely ID edible mushrooms, that there are only a few that do not have poisonous look-alikes, and how even though I have been studying mushrooms most my life I would only safely take home about 6 to eat. It is sad that this disclaimer is even needed, but I have met too many people who think mushrooms are food and are really surprised at the amount of mushes that will make you really unwell.

Other than that one little thing, I love this book! I am definitely going to buy this book and place it on my shelves next to Michael Kuo's 100 Edible Mushrooms.

Shroom: Mind-Bendingly Good Recipes for Cultivated and Wild Mushrooms By Lisa King | Monday, August 19

Private chef, author, and cooking teacher Becky Selengut has a passion for colorful fungi. When she is not wandering through the woods searching for the perfect wild chanterelle, she’s at her post as a professor in the culinary/nutrition department at Bastyr University. She had great success with IACP book award finalist “Good Fish: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the Pacific Coast”, one of Seattle Magazine’s best cookbooks of 2011 and an NPR-notable read. “Shroom” will be her much anticipated third book.

“Shroom” takes the reader on an educated walk through the misty and mossy sylvan adventures of foraging. Through the truly lovely photography of experienced food stylist Claire Barboza, we transcend the 2-dimensional page to touch and smell the earthy loam of these gilled and capped enchanted beauties.

The book is divided into 15 species-specific chapters, incorporating 75 recipes, with an Introduction which includes some great how to’s for storing, cleaning and caring for your delicate treasures. Part field guide, part cookbook, we explore some tantalizing ingredients, with a nod to Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine. Never fear, there are also entries for simple comfort food like Scrambled Eggs with White Truffles, Squash Soup with Black Trumpets, and Pizza with Smoked Hedgehog Mushrooms. Adding dimension to the presentation, Selengut’s wife April Pogue, an accomplished sommelier, suggests some wonderful wine pairings with each dish.

“Shroom” is not an ordinary cookbook. Its quirky graphics are hip and relevant, but we sense an old-world fairy tale appeal in the art of mushrooming itself. Witty and charming in her tone, Selengut’s adoration for her subject is apparent. She includes little tidbits of trivia in between her instruction, such as the “What Shroom are You?” quiz. Suitable for the novice and the master chef of the home kitchen, Selengut will simply not allow you to cook limp, tasteless, or mushy Portobellos. She’s on a mission. She asks us, “What if the often maligned mushroom was ready for its day in the sun, its stroll down the forest catwalk?”

I believe she just gave the Morel its Fifteen Minutes of Fame.

Format: Hardcover – Nonjacketed Dimensions: 8.2 x 10.2 ISBN: 9781449448264 Publication Date: 9/9/2014 Pages: 240

Formatted Review: http://nobigwheel.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/shroom-mind-bendingly-good-recipes-for-cultivated-and-wild-mushrooms/

Absolutely wonderful!!!!! This book is filled with spectacular recipes that really showcase the mushroom. Each section is dedicated to one type of mushroom and I like that it is "displayed" in all its glory. The first few were the more typical mushrooms that I am familiar with but as I moved through the pages I noticed ones I had heard of but never seen for didn't hear of at all. I was able to find a nice supply of these at my local Chinese grocery which was a pleasant surprise. As some of these are better dried than fresh, this local market had a great variety. The recipes are for the average home cook but I must admit there are a few that are geared more towards a seasoned chef. That being said, don't be afraid to follow her direction because you'll be surprised by the appetizing results! A definite win!