RECIPES - Porcini mushroom tempura with chestnut soil and goat cheese foam

Here comes autumn again!

That cool breeze in the air, the landscape changing colors, and the rain that starts falling.

Everything’s getting wet but the Earth is having her way to give us her wonderful fruit and the weather is definitely one of those.

The rain, the sun, the soil and the trees (a chestnut tree is one of them) are also key elements needed for the mushrooms to grow and there’s one in particular that we love so much, the Boletus Edulis, better known as Porcino in Italian or Penny Bun in English.

As the mushroom is strongly connected with the tree is growing nearby, in this recipe I wanted to recreate that link adding a chestnut soil that reminds me of the woodland, so let’s cook, and be ready to be transported into the wild.

Ingredients for serving 4 people:

For the chestnut soil

120gr flour “00”
50gr chestnut flour
50gr almond flour
30gr double malt beer
10gr caster sugar
2gr salt
30gr melted butter

Pre-heat the oven at 90 degrees. In a bowl mix well 100gr of flour “00”, 40gr of chestnut flour, 25gr of almond flour, sugar, and salt.

Place everything in a food processor and short burst a few times while adding the beer.

Lay down the compost on a silicon mat and let it dry in the oven for 3 to 4 hours.

Pass it to a large sieve to eliminate the large lumps and let it rest for 12 hours.

Using the remaining ingredients repeat the process and then mix the two compost by hand. Put aside.

For the Porcini mushroom tempura

100gr flour “00”
150ml sparkling water
4 Porcini mushroom (100gr each)
1lt Sunflower oil.

Place the flour in a large bowl, slowly add the chilled sparkling water whipping vigorously to obtain a smooth and even “pastella”.

Clean the Porcini mushroom with a wet cloth, cut them in half vertically, and soak them in it.

Deep fry them in abundant sunflower oil.

For the goat cheese foam

300gr goat cheese
200gr single cream

In a saucepan warm the cream, add the goat cheese, and let it melt, at low fire, stirring continuously without bringing to boil.

Once obtained a creamy and smooth compost, pour it in a 500ml siphon, let it cool, and then charge it with 2 capsules of gas.

Shake well and leave it in the fridge for 2 hours.

For the presentation (one portion)

Micro herbs
Edible flowers

Place the chestnut soil on the plate diagonally from side to side and lay down two halves of Porcini in the middle.

Get the siphon from the fridge, shake well and foam up three scoops of goat cheese between and on the side of the mushrooms.

Decorate with edible flower and micro herbs.

Wine pairing: