What’s in Season: Mushroom Confit

You don't have to love fruits and vegetables to take advantage of the local farmer's market. Do it to support local business and farmers; do it if reducing your carbon footprint is a concern to you, or do it to try a new recipe using produce you can certain of its freshness and quality. This month's fresh ingredient is everyone's favourite fungus, the mushroom.

Available year-round, mushrooms are a good source of vitamin D and are one of the more versatile ingredients around. A great way to use them is in a confit, a preservation method that slow-poaches the mushrooms in oil, intensifying their flavour. Then they can be added to omelets; macaroni and cheese; used as pizza toppings; tucked under the skin of a roast chicken, or anywhere else you can think of that needs an umami boost.

Ingredients:

680 g mushrooms, all the same type or assorted

NOTE: Unless you are an experienced mycologist, DO NOT USE ANY MUSHROOMS YOU FIND IN THE FOREST

120 mL to 240 mL olive oil or grapeseed oil
30 g minced shallots
15 g fresh thyme leaves
5 g kosher salt

1. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel. If the stem is edible, simply trim the ends; otherwise, separate the caps from the stems (they can be used to make a mushroom broth). Cut the caps into 1/2-inch pieces, or confit the caps whole if they look good.
2. Place the mushrooms gill sides up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the salt, then set them aside to dry-brine for 30 minutes. If diced, sprinkle the mushroom pieces with the salt and skip the 30-minute rest.
3. Heat 1/2 inch of the oil in a heavy skillet large enough to hold the mushrooms in a single layer, over medium heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add the shallots, and let everything cook for several minutes, until translucent. Add the thyme and the mushrooms, gill sides up. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, turning the mushrooms over halfway through.
4. Add enough oil so the mushrooms are fully submerged; cook gently until the oil hits 77 degrees °C on an instant-read thermometer, for about 20 minutes, then remove the skillet from the heat, and let the mushrooms cool in the oil.
5. Pack the mushrooms in a clean glass jar, gently layering each one in the jar, then covering with oil; continue layering and adding oil until all the mushrooms have been packed in the jar. Run a chopstick or a plastic knife along the inside of the jar to release any air bubbles. Make sure the mushrooms are completely submerged in the oil, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use (for up to 2 weeks).