Lobster mushroom ✦

Champignon homard

What it is

There is no lobster mushroom species: it is a parasitic mould, Hypomyces lactifluorum, that engulfs a russula and rewrites it, sealing the gills shut under an orange crust. In Quebec and the Pacific Northwest it is bought by the kilo, and the forager knows they are picking two organisms at once.

In the kitchen

Scrub the pimpled crust under water - it holds grit that brushing will not shift - and cut away anything brown inside. It stays firm through twenty minutes of braising, so treat it like a root vegetable rather than a mushroom.

Goes with

Butter Cream Tarragon Lobster Corn Grey shallot Cognac

In season alongside

Acorn Antep pistachio Artichoke Belon flat oyster Bintje potato Borlotti bean

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