All that the rain promises and more...

Is the title of David Arora's "hip pocket guide to Western mushrooms," a title which proved portentous for my copy, destroyed by flood two months ago.  No matter, King Boletus lives on, and fall's bounty has arrived.

We have had a dry spell here in Chicago, but the wily Hen of the Woods is springing from its oaky home nonetheless.  Throw in an odd giant puffball and you have a pretty good hunt.

The puffball's skin is really convenient.

  

Here's  a small maitake aka Hen of the Woods in prime condition.  This one would probably have continued to grow for some time.  It was just under a pound as it was.  We found two more mushrooms that were larger but somewhat past their prime for a total of over 5 pounds of maitakes.

I sliced the puffball up, dredged in flour, egg and bread crumbs and fried in olive oil.  It has a good, mild flavor with a hint of an almost minty taste that I can't quite place.  The texture is really cool.

I sauteed some of the maitakes with shallots and red wine.  Ate it on some rye toast with melted cheddar cheese.  They need to be cooked for a while, but are wonderfully chewy and delicious.  I will try to do something more exciting with the other 4 odd pounds later this week.