I'm crazy about morel mushrooms. Admittedly, I have one tattooed on me, hand drawn by some guy years ago. I brought in a perfect specimin and forever it is now on my hip.
That said, every spring I head to my favorite secret spot and forage for the little gems. Patience is key, as is knowing your spot and not picking all of them, so that the next year the spores have a chance to do their thing. Last weekend I picked a shopping bag full of them and served some at Picnic. Pictured are the last of my forage, and I will be making a meal fit for a king with them.
While you may not be able to find a spot and pick your own, I saw some yesterday at the Whole Foods in Paramus for a decent price....just $30 a pound which is quite low.
If you want to try them, I recommend cooking them as follows. While I use them in many applications, to me, this is the most flavorful way.
For any recipes using morels, I suggest giving them a quick rinse right before cooking, then slicing in half to make sure there are no little bugs hanging around, since morels are hollow.
Sauteed morels in cream sauce with sherry
1/4 lb morel mushrooms, cleaned, stem on
1 sm shallot, finely minced
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/8 cup sherry
2T butter (unsalted)
salt and white pepper (tt)
In a heavy bottomed saute pan (not non stick!) melt butter on high heat
Add mushrooms and saute until slightly golden
add shallots and reduce heat to low
sweat shallots and deglaze the pan with the sherry. Add heavy cream
Reduce for about five minutes on low heat until just a little cream coats the morels
Serve on toast points as a nifty first course appetizer
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