Black Trumpets. The Mushroom Infusion you Need

Black trumpet mushrooms look like a mess. Sticks, spiders, and strangely shaped. DANK is a good word to describe them. They have to be cooked, and I wouldn’t ever just serve them as a major component of a dish the way one would a Chanterelle or Maitake. Their best substitute would probably be a Shiitake, but at least a Shiitake has a traditional size and shape. When black trumpets are cooked properly, they have a depth of mushroom flavor that is unrivaled. They taste and smell like the good part of a forest, it’s hard to describe. Torn into strips, roasted, and toasted they can elevate so many flavors. A good cheese comparison would be Parmesan. Rarely eaten alone, but elevating and tying together so many elements of a dish. They even get briny and taste like seaweed when deeply roasted and dehydrated.

Because of their long cylindrical shape, more trombone than trumpet, they have to be cleaned. Black trumpets can contain sticks, grass, and if you’re lucky…. spiders! My sous chef always laughs when we find living things on our produce, and calls it “Pro-ta-een”. You know you have fresh stuff if caterpillars are on your lettuce, and spiders are in your Trumpets. Tear them lengthwise to expose the center, and give them a rough wash in cold water. Rinse, repeat. Discard any really soggy or mildewy smelling ones, they can ruin the whole bunch and will never cook properly. Lay them out on towels and really dry them. An effective way is to lay them out is on a bunch of paper towels, and then roll the whole thing up.

Now to cook. Wipe a non stick pan with oil, and throw on high heat for 1 minute. Do not crowd the pan because trumpets have a ton of water and if we don’t get color on them they won’t develop their flavor. They will stay wet and dank. Strangely, the color we want is a brown one. When you sauté these on high heat the black turns brown. After about a minute, start to move a little and add some more oil, black pepper, and thyme if you like. When it looks like most of the water is gone, add salt and some more oil. 20 more seconds and you’re done. Transfer to a sheet tray or plate. Adjust the seasoning, add some finishing oil and you can still go in a few directions. Roast more for a crunchy seaweed flavor, or splash with vinegar for a funky mushroom vinaigrette flavor. You can serve them as they are mixed in with pasta or rice, chop them and sprinkle them on a steak or fish, or even puree them and make a great sauce out of them. When I worked at RM we pureed them with vinegar and oil to make an amazing thick vinaigrette we served with lobster.

These are rare mushrooms that can really elevate a dish. They require a little bit of work but they are worth it.