Mushroom Gastronomy: The Art of Cooking With Mushrooms is part cookbook, part encyclopedia. But because of its laser-focused attention to a single ingredient—the protean mushroom—it never feels overwhelming in its scope. In fact, I put down Mushroom Gastronomy with a determination to learn even more about the ever-fascinating fungus, which historically has somehow seemed delicate and dangerous, delicious and repugnant all at once. Let’s start with the delicious, as author Krista Towns does. Her fascination with mushrooms is apparent from the first pages, where she describes a childhood spent digging into dirt in the woods of rural Ohio, fascinated by all the things she saw. Chapters like “The Mushroom Pantry,” “Cooking Methods” and “Preservation” equip readers with a brief but thorough education while showcasing Towns’ talent as a photographer. She shot the book’s photos, which are in turn fascinating (as in her shot of the Lion’s Mane variety, which looks a little like the Tribbles from that episode of Star Trek) and mouth-watering (I could practically taste the Maitake Philly cheesesteak). The recipes are organized around types of mushrooms, so if you happen to love morels, you can thumb straight to chicken-stuffed morels with Marsala sauce, as I did. The majority of the recipes included in Mushroom Gastronomy come from regions that embrace mushrooms—mainly Spain, Italy, France and Asia. That allows Towns to throw a fairly wide culinary net. You’ll find recipes for stroganoff, chantilly potatoes, omelets, a croque monsieur and more, all with a unique mushroom-centric approach. A treat for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, Mushroom Gastronomy even includes a spin on beef Wellington that incorporates goat cheese and portobellos wrapped in puff pastry that’s enough to make even the most carnivorous among us consider a plant-based (fungi-based?) lifestyle.
