Tips for Specialty Mushrooms: Roasting

Mushrooms, especially MYCOPIA mushrooms lend themselves to roasting. Roasting brings out the flavor, and you don't have to fuss with them the way you do when you saute mushrooms. (No stirring or watching to make sure they don't burn.) Why do we say that MYCOPIA mushrooms are particularly good when roasted? Because white button mushrooms or portobellas give off so much water when roasted that you don't get the flavorful carmelization as easily.

You don't need a recipe to roast mushrooms. You can use an oven temperature of 350 to 450 degrees or more. I've seen a chef use a 700 degree wood fired oven for Trumpet Royale. They shrank quite a bit in size, but the flavor was awesome.

The general rules are:

• Use enough vegetable oil to very lightly coat the mushrooms. Maybe 1-2 Tablespoons per 8 ounces of mushrooms. Add a little salt and pepper now. You can season again later.
• Grease a baking sheet very lightly. Lay the mushrooms out in a single layer, not heaped. Stir or flip the mushrooms once during the cooking if you care to. Not necessary, but desirable.
• If you are going to add fresh herbs or garlic, do so after the mushrooms are about 80% done. That will keep the garlic or herbs from scorching.