Makes about 30 canapés

Ingredients

• 4 oz. of MYCOPIA Maitake Frondosa
• ½ pound of Black Pig Meat Co. bacon
• 6 slices of rye bread
• olive oil
• mayonnaise

Directions

1. Start by cooking off the bacon. Black Pig's Duskie Estes recommends cooking it on a baking sheet lined with parchment at 350 degrees until nicely browned. Cutting it into squares while it’s still warm will hold down on the crumbling. (save the bacon drippings by pouring through a paper coffee filter.)
2. Next prepare the bread base for the canapé. I used rye because I thought its hearty flavor would be a good complement to those of the bacon and Maitake Frondosa.
3. After cutting rounds of bread, brush them with butter and cook in toaster oven until nicely browned.
4. Prepare the Maitake Frondosa, by first tearing into little bunches, and trimming to reduce the stem.
5. Cook the Maitake in a heavy bottom skillet over low heat. I used a little olive oil. You could use the bacon drippings. Turn once during cooking to brown on both sides.
6. Finally, assemble little stacks. A bit of mayonnaise between each layer helps to keep them from toppling. The order is: mayonnaise, tomato, bacon, then Maitake.

Side Note

Duskie Estes and John Stewart of Zazu Restaurant and Black Pig Meat Co. have been whetting our appetites with their perfect Black Pig bacon. It’s a fair trade, their piggies have been enjoying trim from our mushroom harvest rooms.

Of course, my mind turned to one of my favorites: the BLT sandwich. Thus was born the BMT – Bacon, Maitake, and Tomato. I couldn’t find a way to work in the lettuce, but I don’t think you’ll miss it.