How I Eat: More 'Srooms for You!

Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
His wife could eat no lean.
And so between them both, you see,
They licked the platter clean.

That's a common nursery rhyme that I'm sure you may have heard.

Well, in my case, I would eat no mushroom (well, not exactly no mushroom... I'm okay with the more asiany straw mushroom and black mushroom, although I don't exactly yearn for them either), while a fungus loving friend despised cooked onions, which I just happen to like. So whenever we ate together, we'd pick out and pass to one another those particular ingredients from our plates.

However, in 2009, I ran into a few exceptional fungus filled dishes which give me cause to reconsider my stance. Here they are, in no particular order (okay, changed my mind... in alphabetical order):

> Dante - gnocchi - mushroom ragu, casteirosso cheese, sapa, $14/26

> Newbury College Grand Buffet - sliced mushrooms served with micro-greens and fig jam appetizer plate, $10 for the buffet lunch

> O Ya - GRILLED SASHIMI OF SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS rosemary garlic oil, sesame froth, homemade soy, $24

> Tasca - Carpaccio of roasted portabella mushrooms in a sherry vinaigrette with capers and red onion with roasted red pepper rusks, part of a special three course menu

So, while generally mushrooms still do not cause my heart to go a-flutter... I will no longer allow the inclusion of the fungus as an ingredient to cause me to completely nix a dish from the possibility of reaching my palate. (or basically, mushrooms are now 'eh, okay' with me instead of 'no way Jose!')

Chewy Yumminess! Coconut Mochi Cake

Mochi (glutinous rice flour) tends to lend a chewy consistency to the product that I happen to enjoy. Coconut milk adds a particular flavor and richness to the dessert. The first time I made the baked coconut rice cake shared by Chowhounder jbeaux for a potluck, five individuals asked me for the recipe. :)

Butter Mochi or Sweet Rice-Flour and Coconut Cake
Makes 24 squares

3 cups mochiko (sweet rice flour--1 lb bag)
2.5 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 (14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk (not low-fat)
5 lg eggs
1/2 stick (1/4 c) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350.
Whisk together mochiko, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a lg bowl.
Whisk together coconut milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla in another bowl. Add coconut mixture to flour mixture, whisking until batter is combined.
Pour batter into an ungreased 13x9 in. baking pan, smoothing top, and bake until top is golden and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 1.5 hrs. Cool cake completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hrs.
Cut mochi into 24 squares before serving. (Mochi keeps, covered and chilled, for 3 days).

Source: Gourmet, May 2005, adapted from *The Food of Paradise* by Rachel Lauden.

Chowhound notes:
1) My aunt usually uses a plastic knife to cut the squares, and adds a little veg oil to the knife to ensure it doesn't stick. She uses Blue Star Brand Mochiko Sweet Rice flour, which I've seen both in my local grocery store and in the Asian market here in California.
jbeaux Sep 30, 2006
2) I made it and really liked it, but then I like my sweets sweet. The texture is nice. The only thing is that you can't keep it at room temp for more than a few days and after you refrigerate it, it is never the same. I recommend freezing portions and just taking pieces out before you want to eat it. I don't know about cutting the sugar.
alex8alot Feb 16, 2007

Vivian's Notes:
1) I measured a 1 lb bag of mochiko and discovered that it contained approximately 3-1/2 cups, so I've taken to measuring out the rice flour.
2) For my house, 2 cups of sugar is plenty.
3) The unsweetened coconut milk I pick up from the supermarket is only 13.5oz, so that's what I use.
4) I bake this for 1 hour 10 min. It comes out about an inch high in a 13x9 inch pan.