You can be a mighty mushroom master

12th November 2020 | Eativity editors

From MasterChef and Mary’s to Three Blue Ducks, some of Australia’s top chefs will be celebrating the magic of mushrooms this November. Australian Mushrooms has joined forces with these innovative chefs, who have devised a series of bold mushroom-based recipes that you can recreate at home.

Mushrooms aren’t only decidedly tasty, they also provide powerful antioxidants, essential minerals and B vitamins, which can support energy and help reduce fatigue. So, in short, you should eat more of them. And you can use them in way more dishes than stroganoff, salad or pasta. In fact, you can even use them in desserts. Seriously.

Reynold Poernomo has created a mushroom sticky date pudding
Reynold Poernomo has created a mushroom sticky date pudding. Oh yeah!

Making magic

Darren Robertson (Three Blue Ducks and Rocker), Julian Cincotta (Butter), Reynold Poernomo (MasterChef, KOI Dessert Bar), Shannon Martinez (Smith & Daughters, Smith & Deli), and Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham (Mary’s Group) are set to disrupt breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert dishes using Australian mushrooms as you’ve never seen them before.

“There are no limits to cooking with the Aussie mushroom,” Robertson says. “They’re delicious and easy to work with. They can transform your average breakfast, lunch, dinner or even dessert into something really special.”

The chefs will be showcasing their hero dishes via live virtual cooking demonstrations for fans and foodies to recreate the delicious dishes from the comfort of their homes. Select dishes will also be available in each chef’s respective restaurants… For a limited time only.

To get you started on your mighty mushroom mission, we’ve shared Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham’s spicy fried mushroom burger recipe below. Plus we’ve got the details of all the live cooks and where you can find the chefs’ dishes during November.

Mushroom burger by Mary's
Order up! You definitely won’t miss the meat in these little lovelies.

Spicy fried mushroom burger

Makes 6

You’ll need:

6 flat Australian mushrooms
100g table salt
½ bunch of thyme
6 garlic cloves
1 litre vegetable oil
100g garlic powder
100g onion powder
50g chilli powder
100g black pepper powder
600ml buttermilk
30g table salt
250g self-raising flour
25g table salt
10g fresh cracked black pepper
6 soft white milk buns
American cheese
Hot sauce (of your choice)
Whole egg mayonnaise
Dill pickles, sliced 2cm thick

To make the mushroom patties:

1. Place mushrooms with their stalks pointing up and gently remove. Set stalks aside for ‘shroom salt (see below).

2. Generously season with ‘shroom salt (or regular salt) and add 2 tbsp of garlic and thyme oil (see below) to the inside of the mushrooms.

3. Cover with foil, creating a seal within which the steam can cook the mushrooms.

4. Place into a preheated oven at 150°C for 30 minutes.

5. Remove, cool and place in buttermilk marinade (see below) until ready to cook.

6. Reserve the cooking liquid to replace Worcestershire in your next Bloody Mary.

Mushroom burger by Mary's
The guys from Mary’s take their food very seriously. Photo ops? Not so much.

‘Shroom salt

Pop mushroom stalks in the oven at 80 degrees until dried and then combine with table salt in a food processor.

Garlic and thyme oil

Strip thyme leaves off stalk, blitz with garlic cloves and vegetable oil in a food processor.

Buttermilk marinade

Combine buttermilk and salt and reserve for drowning the mushrooms.

Seasoned flour

Combine self-raising flour with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Hot sauce mayo

Combine mayonnaise and hot sauce to taste.

To make the burgers:

1. Preheat the remaining vegetable oil in a saucepan to 170°C, ensuring that the oil does not exceed one-third of the pot.

2. Toast the buns until golden and place the toasted sides up. Place hot sauce mayo on the toasted sides of the top and bottom buns.

3. Place pickles, then American cheese on the bottom bun.

4. Remove mushrooms from buttermilk, dredge in the seasoned flour until well coated.

5. Deep fry until golden brown.

6. Remove and season generously with ‘shroom salt and seasoning. Place the fried ‘shroom on top of the cheese; nestle the top bun on top.

Mushrooms
With mushrooms, the only limit is your imagination.

Mighty mushie dish locations and live virtual demonstration times:

1. Darren Robertson‘s mushroom, Oomite and burnt butter Mother Crumpet – available at Rocker Bondi during November 2020. Live demonstration time: 7pm, November 12
2. Julian Cincotta‘s fried Australian field mushrooms & XO noodles featuring Kowloon Chilli Co. – available at Butter Sydney all summer. Live demonstration time: 10am, November 30
3. Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham’s spicy fried ‘shroom burger with fried buttermilk ‘shroom, habanero mayo, thick-cut Mary’s pickles – available at Mary’s during November 2020. Live demonstration time: 7pm, November 18
4. Reynold Poernomo‘s portobello mushroom sticky date pudding with vanilla caramel and hazelnut ice cream. Live demonstration time: 7pm, November 24
5. Reynold Poernomo’s “tiramushie” with Swiss brown mushroom almond Joconde, soaked with coffee syrup and mascarpone coffee mousse dusted with portobello and cocoa powder – available at KOI Dessert Bar Chippendale for one day only.
6. Shannon Martinez’s cavatelli with braised mushrooms, beans and radicchio – available to try at home on australianmushrooms.com.au

Live cooks will be hosted at @australianmushrooms. More details on the Mighty Mushie Masters Series can be found on each chef’s Instagram channels and at australianmushrooms.com.au.