Share with My Gourmet Tours one of our favorite local gastronomic passion, the Cèpes picking, the best opportunity for a gourmet walking tour !

Wild about Mushrooms!

Due to the long hot summer, the mushrooms season this year is late, but the harvest is bountiful. This is one of mother nature’s most perfect gifts here in Bordeaux region! They come in all shapes, textures, size and flavours and mushroom foraging is a national past-time. During our gourmet and luxurious tours around the city you can ask the artisans we visit about which food pair best with mushrooms. And don’t forget that they are the best friends of our Bordeaux wines!

Here in Bordeaux region the most famous and favorite mushroom is the “Cèpe”. But if you are a first -time mushroom hunter there are a few rules you need to follow to be sure your mushrooms are comestible. Most importantly if you don’t know what’s in your basket then you can take your mushrooms to your local pharmacy where the staff are trained to detect toxic varieties.  Each year there are a large number of recorded cases of mushroom poisonings, some of which are fatal – so there’s no room for error here!

Over 3000 varieties of mushroom can be found in France, although only a few are edible – these include: Girolles, Morilles, Bolet, Chanterelles, Sangins and Pied de Mouton and last, but not least the Cèpes (or “bouchon” due to it resembling a champagne cork) our personal favourite here at My Gourmet Tours.  The Cepes (Penny Bun in English, Porcini to the Italian) has the flavour of a thousand cultivated mushrooms and a wonderful meaty texture.

Careful preparation is required before you move onto the cooking and eating stage. The traditional French method is to brush them or wipe them with a damp cloth, because mushrooms absorb moisture.  If you do wash them in advance then let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours, the effect will be negated.

If you are not lucky enough to live here, or don’t have the time to forage we have some wonderful suppliers right here in Bordeaux city.  My Gourmet Tours guests can take advantage of their guides’ and artisans knowledge with advice on recipe combinations, wine pairings and everything in between! If you would like to discover and taste these delights, please join us on one of our Bordeaux food and wine tours.

Our favourite recipe is also one of the most simple (and traditional!) – Cèpes à la Bordelais

Ingredients

  • 800g small, firm ceps
  • 2 shallots
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 6 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
  • 4 tbsp peanut oil
  • Salt and ground pepper

Method

  1. Prepare the mushrooms without washing them ( If you do wash them in advance then let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours, the effect will be negated) and trim the base of the stem and separate from the cap.  Gently scrape the stem with a small knife, then cut into very small cubes. Wipe the caps with a dry cloth. Keep the small caps whole and cut the larger ones into 1cm thick strips.
  2. Peel the shallots and garlic clove. Chop finely. Rinse the parsley with cold water and gently dry with absorbent paper. Remove large stems and chop finely.
  3. Heat half the oil in a frying pan over high heat. When very hot, put the mushroom caps and chopped stalks in and season with salt & pepper.  Cook for 15 min, stirring with a wooden spoon, or shaking the sauté pan several times until the mushrooms are golden and all the moisture has evaporated.
  4. At the same time gently sweat the shallots and garlic with the remaining oil in a small saucepan over low heat.
  5. Combine the mushrooms with the shallots/garlic mixture, stir, then cover and cook gently for another minute. Pour into a heated dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

My Gourmet Tours hopes you enjoy with friends, a fresh baguette and a glass of Bordeaux red!