Hedgehog recipes

• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 8 ounces white button and/or crimini mushrooms
• 3 ounces hedgehog mushrooms
• 3 ounces enoki mushrooms
• salt and pepper

In a large skillet melt butter over med-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft. Add all mushrooms (cleaned and trimmed) and cook, tossing frequently, 3 minutes. Add enoki and cook 1 minute longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Hedgehog and Hazelnut Soup - adapted from "The Edible Mushroom: A Gourmet Cook's Guide," by Margaret Leibenstein
Serves 4-6

• 1 pound of hedgehog mushrooms
• 3 slices of dried boletes, broken into small pieces
• 3 heads (Boston) lettuce, tough outer leaves removed
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 5 cups rich chicken stock
• 4 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup cooked white rice
• 6 ounces hazelnuts, blanched and skinned
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Wipe the hedgehog mushrooms clean with a damp cloth or brush and trim the bases of the stems. Coarsely chop mushrooms and set aside. Wash the dried boletes pieces under running cold water to remove any grit, pat them dry, and set aside. Remove the core of each head of lettuce. Wash the leaves thoroughly, shake to remove excess water, and shred. (The leaves should not be completely dry.) Set aside.
Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large sauce pan or stock pot. Add the hedgehogs, toss, and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add the lettuce leaves, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir once or twice to mix, cover, and cook over moderately low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine the onion, stock, 4 cups of the milk, rice, and bolete pieces and then add them to the pot. Stir once or twice to blend, then cover the pot and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Strain the soup, reserving the vegetables. Puree the vegetables in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade, then combine puree with soup and return it to the pot. Bring the soup back to a simmer.
In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, finely chop the hazelnuts. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of butter and pulse the machine on and off 4 times. Add the remaining 1/4 cup milk, the egg yolks, and cream, then pulse the machine 3 more times to mix thoroughly. Add a little of the hop soup to the processor bowl to warm the nut cream, then stir the warm nut cream into the soup. Serve immediately.

Hedgehog, Leek, and Cheese Quiche - adapted from adapted from "The Edible Mushroom: A Gourmet Cook's Guide," by Margaret Leibenstein
Serves 6

• pastry for 9 inch open-face pie
• 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 pound hedgehog mushrooms
• 4 young leeks, trimmed
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped pickled jalapeno pepper, or more, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. chopped roasted red pepper or canned pimiento
• pinch nutmeg
• pinch cayenne
• 3 whole eggs
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry and flute the edges. Sprinkle the bottom of the crust with half of the grated cheddar cheese. Set aside.

Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp cloth, trim the bases of the stems, chop mushrooms into large pieces. Wash the leeks thoroughly under cold running water, pat dry, then slice them into 2-inch-long matchstick strips. (Use the white part of the leek and 1/2 inch of the green part.) Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet and sauté leeks over moderate heat until just tender. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until all the mushroom liquid has evaporated. Add the chopped peppers, nutmeg and cayenne. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the vegetables to cool to tepid. Combine the eggs, milk, sour cream, and salt and whisk them together to make a custard.

Spread the mushrooms and leeks evenly over the cheese in the pie pan, cover with the remaining cheese, and carefully pour the custard. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean. Serve hot or cold.