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Once-exotic wild fungi are now grown and sold all over

By Sam Gugino

John Gottfried's mushroom epiphany occurred in 1971, in Japan, when he was "knocked out" by the taste of the legendary matsutake. "It was piney and very pure. It just spoke of the woods," he recalls. A few years later, in 1978, Gottfried wrote an article about exotic mushrooms for The New York Times, and chefs began asking him if he could supply them with these unusual and often unheard-of fungi. "There was nobody providing them back then," Gottfried said.

How times have changed. Today Gottfried supplies specialty mushrooms to 140 restaurants and thousands of consumers through his New York fancy-foods company, Gourmet Garage. And he's not alone. Whereas white, or button, mushrooms were about all one could get 23 years ago, shiitakes, portabellas, oyster mushrooms and cremini can now be found in many ordinary supermarkets. Even chanterelles, hedgehogs and black trumpets are relatively easy to come by, though the Japanese usually snap up those matsutakes, which can command $50 and more a pound. "Sources are increasing every year," says Hans Johansson, owner of Mushrooms & More, a mail-order retailer in White Plains, N.Y. "We now get chanterelles from Morocco and Portugal."

Specialty mushrooms can be wild or cultivated. Mycophiles (mushroom lovers) debate over whether cultivated mushrooms, which are much more common, can be as good as wild ones. While the cultivated kinds are sold virtually year-round, wild domestic mushrooms are most abundant in the fall. Here's a look at the more widely available varieties (except morels and porcini, which I've written about before. You can find those columns on the Wine Spectator Web site: www.winespectator.com).

Chanterelle: Chanterelles have an inside-out umbrella cap and a color that ranges from pale yellow to deep reddish orange. They're prized by chefs for their distinctive apricot, nutty, slightly peppery flavor, which can add complexity to all sorts of dishes, particularly poultry, game and meats braised with dried apricots. At Le Petit Chateau in Bernardsville, N.J., chef Scott Martin Cutaneo makes duxelles (finely diced mushrooms and shallots sautéed in butter) with chanterelles, cream and dry vermouth, which is stuffed into chicken breasts. Chanterelles are not cultivated, but are plentiful from July to December.

Yellow-footed chanterelle: Named for its spindly yellow stems, this mushroom is also called a winter chanterelle because it is available when the real thing isn't. The wild yellow-footed chanterelles--like real chanterelles, yellow-foots can only be harvested in the wild--I tried were tender and delicious, though they weren't as distinctive as a true chanterelle, lacking that fruity aroma and pleasantly peppery bite. In addition, the mushroom cap remained soggy after being sautéed.

Black trumpet: "False truffle" is another name for this charcoal-gray, horn-shaped mushroom, because it's sometimes passed off as the genuine article. Black trumpet is related to the chanterelle but is more delicate, so it is commonly used in fish and veal dishes. The wild trumpets I tried had a musky aroma and a chewy texture, but the flavor was too subtle. Happily, these mushrooms can be successfully dried (unlike true chanterelles), which gives them a more intense flavor and perfume. Fresh black trumpets are available from October to March.

Hen of the wood mushroom (maitake): Although the sample I tried was cultivated--this variety almost always is--it was my favorite. A hen of the wood looks like a curly head of gray/white hair and has a deep musky fragrance and an earthy, slightly gamy flavor. At Marika restaurant in Manhattan, chef Joel Somerstein serves them as part of a mushroom fricassée, with crispy sweetbreads. He also steams them, tosses them in a rice-wine vinaigrette and serves them with seared scallops and a sticky-rice cake.

Oyster: There are several versions of this popular mushroom, named for its shape, grayish color and faint seafood aroma. Cultivated oyster mushrooms I've had have almost universally been bland, and sometimes watery and flabby. Johansson says few wild ones are available, and those he's seen are highly prone to worminess. So, he suggests seeking out different strains of cultivated ones like the "trumpet royale."

Enokitake (enoki): I call the cultivated variety of this mushroom (the wild version is rarely seen commercially) the Q-tip mushroom because of its pure white color, long thin stem, and tiny cap?and because it has almost no flavor. "The taste is not very interesting," Gottfried admits. "It's more of a textural thing. And they look good." This is why crunchy enoki mushrooms are most often used as a garnish, particularly in Asian salads or soups.

Cremino (cremini): This mushroom is very much like the common white button, just darker and more expensive. In fact, cremini were once the standard commercial mushrooms, until a comelier, white genetic variation was discovered.

Portabella: This is a giant cremino, which has developed more flavor due to its longer growing period. The saucerlike cap is often grilled because it has a meaty texture--it's not uncommon to see it used in lieu of meat in a sandwich, for example. Gottfried suggests cutting away the dark gills if you wish to prevent the inky juices from spoiling the appearance of a dish.

Shiitake: Though most shiitakes are cultivated, not all cultivated shiitakes are equal. Those from Mushrooms & More, grown on hardwood logs instead of in sawdust, had a smokier, more robust flavor than any other shiitakes I've eaten. But even lesser shiitakes have a heartiness that allows them to be used in almost any type of dish, from salad to Thanksgiving giblet gravy. Gottfried even carries shiitakes large enough to be grilled like portabellas. In all but the smallest shiitakes, the stems are too fibrous to be eaten.

Hon-shimeji: Pale gray, with a small cap and long stem, this is a very popular mushroom in Japan and is gaining fans quickly here. It comes up beautifully golden when sautéed in butter and oil and has a subtle shellfish aroma, firm texture and nutty flavor. The hon-shimeji sold are almost always cultivated because the wild ones, called "fried chicken," have highly toxic look-alikes.

When buying any specialty mushrooms, choose those that are firm and slime-free. Refrigerate them in paper bags or, better yet, paper bags within plastic bags, and they'll keep several days to two weeks, depending on the variety. Clean with a small, firm brush just before using. Rinsing can make mushrooms soggy.

Specialty mushrooms show their stuff best when not overburdened with seasonings and strong flavors. They're excellent in mild pasta, risotto, egg, veal and poultry dishes. They're also good with green vegetables, especially asparagus. Almost any member of the onion family (I like shallots) will elevate their flavor. Among herbs, thyme marries best with mushrooms, but rosemary and sage also make a tasty match. Some cooks like to add a squeeze of lemon after sautéing or roasting.

Delicate varieties such as chanterelles and black trumpets are best sautéed over moderate heat in a combination of butter and olive oil until their moisture exudes and evaporates. They can then be added to pastas or vegetables or combined with wine or stock for sauces. Heartier mushrooms like shiitakes and portabellas can be stir-fried, grilled or broiled. Hen of the woods are also delicious when drizzled with oil and roasted in a hot (450° F) oven.

The meaty, earthy character of mushrooms calls for a red wine, particularly Pinot Noir or Barbaresco, though Dolcetto and Beaujolais work nicely, too. With asparagus, the herbal, slightly vegetal nature of Cabernet Franc is a good idea. Whites have their place as well, particularly creamy, oaky Chardonnay.

Sam Gugino, Wine Spectator's Tastes columnist, is the author of the recently published Low-Fat Cooking to Beat the Clock.

Exotic mushrooms range in price from $4.50 to $20 a pound. Here are some mail-order sources.