Beer Battered Maitake Mushroom With Japanese Tartar Sauce - Recipe

Batter-fried maitake mushrooms with a cross-cultural tartar sauce

Maitake mushrooms are very common and much-loved in Japan. In the US they are often known as Hen of the Woods mushrooms (not to be confused with Chicken of the Woods, which is completely different - or Chicken of the Sea, for that matter). They are an easy wild mushroom to enjoy; the flavor is pretty much similar to a button mushroom, just more intense.

My favorite restaurant preparation of maitake has always been tempura. Thinking about how I could put a little different spin on that got me pondering about fish n' chips, so I went for a beer batter instead of traditional tempura, and made a tartar-style sauce with Japanese flavors to complement it. So I guess what we have here is a cross cultural vegetarian fishless fry. Fleur de sel with black sesame seeds, a slice of fried lime (or yuzu if you can get it), and a slice of fresh grapefruit round out the plate.

By the way, the Wikipedia page about fish and chips is hilarious! For example, did you know all the names for the little tasty bits of batter that come out of the fryer with no filling? How about: scratchins, scrumps, scraps, scrobblings, gribblings, bits, fishbits, crimps, fishcrimps, or crispy bits. Mmm, pass the scrobblings! And the Tinactin!

I know, I know, most folks just won't deep-fry at home. I don't blame you, because it is kind of messy and may waste some oil, and even be a little unhealthy :), but it doesn't have to be that big of a deal either. This dish is certainly worth making as an appetizer for a dinner party. Or better yet, a cocktail party. Fried stuff goes great with an adult beverage. 

Beer Battered Maitake Mushroom With Japanese Tartar Sauce
Serves 4
Vegetarian; not vegan or gluten-free

For the tartar sauce:

• 1/2 cup high-quality mayonnaise
• 3 green onions, finely diced (white parts and some of the green)
• 1 small dill pickle, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar (or rice vinegar if not available)
• 2 teaspoons wasabi powder (or to your taste)
• (a little minced ginger would be nice too)

For the mushrooms:

• 4 fist-sized maitake (hen of the woods) mushrooms, halved
• 4 very thin slices of lime
• one 12 oz. bottle of beer, preferably a hoppy microbrew
• 1 cup all purpose-flour
• oil for deep frying (at least 3 inches deep in a decent sized pot, or mini-fryer; if you try to use too small a pot, the oil will cool when you add the food and make the batter soggy)

Garnish:

• 4 slices of grapefruit, pith and seeds carefully removed (see picture)
• 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

1. Combine all of the sauce ingredient and let flavors marry. Taste and adjust before serving.
2. Preheat oil to 370 degrees Fahrenheit. Use proper safety precautions for deep frying.
3. Whisk together the beer and flour. It should be a fairly thin batter.
4. Dip each piece of mushroom and lime in the batter, allow excess to run off, and fry until golden brown, turning occasionally. Carefully remove from the fryer and allow to drain briefly on a paper towel. When removing the mushrooms, tilt in all directions to allow any excess oil to leave the crevasses.
5. You'll have batter leftover and a fryer full of hot oil, so now is the time to raid the fridge and fry some other stuff that sounds good. You don't do this very often, so why miss your chance.
6. To serve, arrange on individual plates as pictured above, or all on one platter with the sauce in a bowl.

Easy Eggplant and Ricotta Rolls with Ajvar (or Tomato Sauce)

These little rolls of roasted eggplant with a ricotta filling and a simple sauce are minimal work and make a satisfying appetizer or side dish.

I sauced mine with ajvar, a mild spread of roasted red peppers that is popular throughout the Balkans. Ajvar is fairly easy to find at gourmet grocery stores (or from the Amazon link above). There are also spicy versions if that is how you roll. It has been a favorite of mine for years, because it very inexpensive and has a ton of flavor. I've been known to eat it on eggs, on toast with melted cheese... and by the tablespoonful.

Of course, if you don't have ajvar or don't care for roasted peppers, you could also use a simple, slightly thick tomato sauce. (This five-minute tomato sauce from Heidi has become my favorite).

I wish I'd taken a picture of the eggplant I used for this dish. It was the same size as a typical globe eggplant, but a little flatter and lighter in color. The amazing thing was how dense it was. It felt twice as heavy as you would expect. That is a good characteristic to look for in most vegetables, and especially in eggplant, where it means the flesh will be firm, not spongy.

The dish is simplicity itself. Just peel, slice and roast the eggplant, fill it with good ricotta, and drizzle with the sauce and some parsley. Feta would be another choice if you wanted to continue with the Balkan flavors.

Eggplant and Ricotta Rolls with Ajvar
Serves 4
Vegetarian and gluten-free; not vegan

• 1 large eggplant, ends trimmed, peeled, and sliced lengthwise into 8 slabs; they should be about 1/3 to 1/2" thick
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/4 cup fresh ricotta
• 1 jar ajvar or 1 cup thick, flavorful tomato sauce
• salt and pepper
• flat-leaf parsley (or fresh basil)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Convection is great if you have it. Oil the eggplant slabs, place on a baking sheet (lined with a Silpat if you like), and lightly salt them. Roast until thoroughly tender, checking every few minutes after 15 minutes or so. There is nothing nastier than undercooked eggplant, so if in doubt, go a little farther. 
2. Season the ricotta with salt and pepper.
3. Carefully (so they don't rip), transfer the eggplant slices to a serving platter one at a time. Fill each one with about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture and fold in half. Arrange in a line.
4. Pour a good amount of the ajvar or tomato sauce in a line down the middle of the rolls. Hit the whole thing with a bit more salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a generous amount of parsley. And more extra-virgin olive oil if you are so inclined.
5. Serve at room temperature.

Iced Lychee With Asian Mignonette Sauce - Recipe

Iced lychee on a bed of ice, with Asian mignonette sauce

Here's the last of the three lychee amuse bouche (you can see the earlier ones here and here). Sticking again with the idea that peeled and pitted lychee are kind of fleshy and shellfish-like, I made an Asian-twisted mignonette, which a sauce traditionally served with oysters. It is vinegary, and tastes best very cold, so I served the whole dish on a bed of crushed ice.

Iced Lychee With Asian Mignonette Sauce
Serves 4
Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free

• 4 fresh lychee, peeled, halved, and pitted
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced green onion (white part only)
• pinch ground Szechwan peppercorn (or black pepper)
• pinch sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro

1. Prepare the lychees and refrigerate.
2. Combine the vinegar, green onion, pepper, sugar and salt, and let marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
3. To serve: finely mince the cilantro and add to the sauce. Fill four small bowls with crushed ice. Place two half-lychees in each of 4 tiny bowls that fit on the crushed ice. Top the lychees with a very small spoonful of sauce, and serve immediately. Tell your guests to pick it up and eat it like a shooter.