Fancy (but easy) Mushroom Nest

This week-end I went to Blanc de Gris which is an urban farm specialized in oyster mushrooms. How fun! I was so excited I actually did a cooking test before cooking the whole batch to make sure I would do it right… Well, I’m glad I did because this looked really nice, and it was delicious!

Look at all these colors! This dish was fresh, savoury, filling and really let the mushrooms be the stars of the show. The grapefruit and clementine salad was so flavourful and brings a really nice texture to the entire plate. It could really make a meal of its own. As for the purple potato mash, well, I’m completely biased about purple sweet potatoes, so let’s just say it was amazing.

But really, the mushrooms were incredible! So firm, tender and so not mushy. Unlike any mushrooms I have bought before these have a flavour of their own and are not watery at all.

Here is what you need for the strawberry-grapefruit dressing:

• 1/2 cup grapefruit flesh
• 3 strawberries
• 3 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tsp sriracha (adjust to taste)
• salt and pepper to taste

Here is what you do for the dressing:

1. Just put everything in your blender and blend until the strawberries are completely pureed.
2. Keep this is an air-tight container in the fridge. This will stay fresh for about a week.

Here is what I put in the salad:

• romaine and butter lettuce
• grapefruit flesh
• clementine chunks
• capers
• avocado
• shredded carrots

Here is what you need for the purple mash:

• 2 normal white potatoes (I really need to pay more attention to varieties of potatoes…), about 4 cups once diced
• 2-3 purple sweet potatoes, about 4 cups once diced
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 laurel leaf
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Here is what you do for the mash:

1. Wash and peel the potatoes. Dice them in small chunks.
2. Boil in water with the laurel leaf until the potatoes are tender and cooked through.
3. Strain and transfer to a big bowl. With a potato masher or a fork, mash the potatoes. Add the milk a little at a time until you get the consistency you like.
4. Add the dried herbs, give a good mix and season to your own taste.

Here is what you need for the mushrooms:

• 350g fresh oyster mushrooms
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt to taste

Here is what you do:

1. Crush and mince the garlic and set aside. Separate and cut the mushrooms if they are not bite-sized.
2. In a large pan, heat the oil on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and sauté until they have a nice golden color.
3. Add the garlic and salt and stir well until cooked through.

To assemble the plate, add lettuce first then all the other salad ingredients around the plate. Add a few spoonfuls of mash in the center and flatten it with the back of a spoon. Arrange the mushrooms in the center and add some dressing on the salad before serving.

Be ready to impress anyone you are serving this too, including yourself! This is such a fancy-looking plate, so why not try it out?

Let me know what you think and if you try it out!