I made my way to the woodland this afternoon. The place was very foggy, and I could only see a meter ahead. I thought it wasn’t the best time for a fungi hunt, but I insisted on seeing where a few baby Inoki were growing. Surprisingly, I found it quite exciting in the fog.
Along the way, I saw a few mushrooms:
This one is a fairy puke. Although I’ve seen many of these, this one was the thickest. It must have been that the fairies had a good booze-up at Christmas.
Further along, I found what I thought was the common bonnet.
I could see the fog swirling around as I examined the mushroom.
A few steps ahead, I spotted a fallen tree with plenty of baby wood ears, something to return for in the next few days.
I eventually reached the tree where the Inoki grew.
It didn’t disappoint me as a few cascaded along the long trunk.
Velvety stalk.
I noticed that the tree was possibly dying. Though it looked healthy from the outside, part of the bark had fallen off, exposing the mycelium spreading underneath, possibly all over the tree. I wondered which fungus's mycelium it was. It’s amazing how they spread. Fungi can be invasive under the right conditions. This tree might fall soon.
I picked a few velvet shanks, planning to make something special for Boxing Night.
Enough to make a starter.
As it started to get dark, I made my way out of the woods.
Once home, I prepared the velvet shank mushrooms; I chopped the nigger ones and removed the stalks as they can be a bit chewy.
I decided to make a simple, easy-to-prepare appetizer...
Mushroom and Cranberry Tartlets ❄️
Ingredients ❄️
1 sheet spring roll pastry
A handful of Wild mushrooms, chopped if they are big
300 g big onions, minced or chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup fresh cranberries
4 tablespoons mascarpone chees or soft cheese
250g cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh thyme leaves
Instructions ❄️
Preheat the oven to 375°F (160°C).
Cut the puff pastry into quarter squares and layer them on a muffin tray.
Press and spray with water to keep the edges in place.
Bake for 15 minutes to harden the shell and transfer to a baking tray carefully.
Sauté the onion and cranberry in olive oil until tender.
Add one teaspoon of honey and stir well.
Add the chopped mushrooms.
Top each pastry shell with the mixture.
Add cheddar cheese.
Pine nuts.
Topped each with a dollop of mascarpone, cranberry and mushroom.
Bake for 20 minutes or so.
Or until golden.
Garnish with thyme and serve.
The tartlets are crispy; inside are layers of flavours, caramelized onion, deliciously nutty sweetish velvet shank mushroom, fragrant pine nuts, tart and sweet cranberries, and creamy cheese, with a hint of thyme for a festive flavour.
Easy and delicious Starter.
Wishing everyone a lovely day!
Mariah 😊
My share to @fungifriday by @ewkaw. 💗