A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

In article , Sacha
writes
A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.

Most fungi are seasonal, so I would expect them to use dried ones for
part of the year at least.

Are morilles what we call morels?
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

On 13/7/05 8:43, in article , "Kay"
wrote:

In article , Sacha
writes
A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.

Most fungi are seasonal, so I would expect them to use dried ones for
part of the year at least.

Are morilles what we call morels?

A Google image search says 'yes'! I don't know what 'girolles' are in
English. And there are some tiny little yellow fungi which I don't think
I've seen used in England.
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds for email)

On 13/7/05 10:02, in article , "Martin
Brown" wrote:

Sacha wrote:

A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.


I presume you mean morels? The ones that look like a black mesh and go
exceptionally well with chicken. Also they cause strange vivid dreams.

I didn't know the bit about the dreams but now that you mention it, I had
the weirdest and most 'real' dreams while we were in Paris, yes!

You can find them dried (or sometimes in oil) at specialist
delicatessens. In season you can find the fresh ones too, but they tend
to be a lot more expensive. I once had a solitary one come up in the
garden - not really enough to do anything useful with and it has never
happened again. ISTR they must be cooked before eating.

Thanks for the bit about delicatessens. I'll keep my eyes open.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Sacha wrote:

A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.


I presume you mean morels? The ones that look like a black mesh and go
exceptionally well with chicken. Also they cause strange vivid dreams.

You can find them dried (or sometimes in oil) at specialist
delicatessens. In season you can find the fresh ones too, but they tend
to be a lot more expensive. I once had a solitary one come up in the
garden - not really enough to do anything useful with and it has never
happened again. ISTR they must be cooked before eating.

Regards,
Martin Brown

The message
from Kay contains these words:

In article , Sacha
writes
A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.

Most fungi are seasonal, so I would expect them to use dried ones for
part of the year at least.

Are morilles what we call morels?

Yes. But the French out-of-season ones are much more likely to have been
canned in brine.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message k
from Sacha contains these words:

A Google image search says 'yes'! I don't know what 'girolles' are in
English. And there are some tiny little yellow fungi which I don't think
I've seen used in England.

Girolles are Cantharellus cibarius, which we in this country mistakenly
call 'chanterelles'. The smaller yellowish fungus might well be a
chanterelle - C. infundibuloformis - you'll find both from time to time
in Tesco's Woodland Fungi selection - correctly labelled!

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Martin Brown contains these words:

Sacha wrote:

A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.

I presume you mean morels? The ones that look like a black mesh and go
exceptionally well with chicken. Also they cause strange vivid dreams.

Not all morels are black: most are a buff colour. I've never heard
rumours of morels causing any brain activity - however, the false morel
(Gyromytra esculenta) can, and can be fatal if continually eaten - it is
deadly when uncooked. (That's similar in form to a morel, but the folds
are rounded, and the colour is darker - toffee-coloured.

You can find them dried (or sometimes in oil) at specialist
delicatessens. In season you can find the fresh ones too, but they tend
to be a lot more expensive. I once had a solitary one come up in the
garden - not really enough to do anything useful with and it has never
happened again. ISTR they must be cooked before eating.

Nope. That's the false morel. All the morels I know can be eaten raw.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:

A Google image search says 'yes'! I don't know what 'girolles' are in
English. And there are some tiny little yellow fungi which I don't think
I've seen used in England.

Girolles are Cantharellus cibarius, which we in this country mistakenly
call 'chanterelles'.

The Collins-Robert French-English dictionary (the big one) gives
Chanterelle as the English for Girolle.
--
David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk
Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Caversham, Reading, UK

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 07:56:10 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.

Just a word of advice if you buy dried ones in packets. They need to
be soaked, of course, and the liquour is good, BUT do strain it
carefully. I once spoiled a dish using them because I put the liquid
in along with the bits of GRIT which were in the packet!

Pam in Bristol

On 13/7/05 13:22, in article ,
"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote:

The message k
from Sacha contains these words:

A Google image search says 'yes'! I don't know what 'girolles' are in
English. And there are some tiny little yellow fungi which I don't think
I've seen used in England.

Girolles are Cantharellus cibarius, which we in this country mistakenly
call 'chanterelles'. The smaller yellowish fungus might well be a
chanterelle - C. infundibuloformis - you'll find both from time to time
in Tesco's Woodland Fungi selection - correctly labelled!

I've never seen a Woodland Fungi section in Tesco! Perhaps they think it's
a bit too sophisticated for Devon folk. ;-) I shall have to start a
one-woman campaign! Thanks for the info on the 'chanterelles'!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On 13/7/05 15:13, in article ,
"Pam Moore" wrote:

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 07:56:10 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.

Just a word of advice if you buy dried ones in packets. They need to
be soaked, of course, and the liquour is good, BUT do strain it
carefully. I once spoiled a dish using them because I put the liquid
in along with the bits of GRIT which were in the packet!

Pam in Bristol

Ugh - bit like finding an unexpected piece of eggshell! Thank you for the
tip and David, thanks for the translation.
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds for email)

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:18:20 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

Ugh - bit like finding an unexpected piece of eggshell!

JUST like that! Put me right off using the dried ones!

Pam in Bristol

The message
from David Rance contains these words:
On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:

A Google image search says 'yes'! I don't know what 'girolles' are in
English. And there are some tiny little yellow fungi which I don't think
I've seen used in England.

Girolles are Cantharellus cibarius, which we in this country mistakenly
call 'chanterelles'.

The Collins-Robert French-English dictionary (the big one) gives
Chanterelle as the English for Girolle.

Maybe - but a chanterelle in France is Cantharellus infundibuloformis,
and the English hijacking the name is a case of mistaken identity - not
unusual where the english and mushrooms are concerned.

I've been studying mushrooms since 1950, and I admit with some shame
that it was only a few years ago that discovered the deception...

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Pam Moore contains these words:
On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 07:56:10 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.

Just a word of advice if you buy dried ones in packets. They need to
be soaked, of course, and the liquour is good, BUT do strain it
carefully. I once spoiled a dish using them because I put the liquid
in along with the bits of GRIT which were in the packet!

Very good advice. Also have a good look inside - I once cooked a
rehydrated earwig...

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/