Search for wild mushroom

I begun love affair with mushroom since hiking in the mountain. Taking picture while they were sprung from the bottom of tree trunk is challenging, specially tiny mushroom that love shades and limited light. I found collecting wild mushroom very fun to do. Few can be eaten, others were poisonous that can be lethal. Wild mushroom as always lot more flavour and nicer texture when it cooked.

Last week we walked to the Half Moon Beach, unwittingly found these beautiful button mushroom. We followed the equitarian route and spot some in hiding among the grass. Some in good condition, but most being knocked out either by horses or insects. In California there are report of people died eating wild mushroom. So be careful.

This week we'd like to grow shitake mushroom at our home. Well, we experimenting how to make our gourmet food source. We bought the kit from Fungi Perfecti. I will post some development in the future.

Winter Apple and Berries Crumble

Since winter did not get away for sometimes soon, I decided to treat myself with traditional apple crumble. I had lovely joyride 37 miles with Bianchi Bike on New Year Day, and back home with these simple and rewarding desert. Very easy to make.

The best ingredients is sour or cooking apple. I choose Granny Smith which somehow appear in supermarket beginning January. I love the texture, slightly harder and last longer. For calories conscious I did not put too much sugar but compensate with butter.


Ingredients

Base:
4 large cooking apple or 6-8 small (peeled and seed out)
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs cinnamon powder
2 cups of mixed berries (in this recipe blueberry and blackberry)

Crumble:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup traditional oats
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
10 tbs butter

Cut apple in chunks, stew in a pan with sugar and cinnamon about roughly 5-6 minutes at low temperature. Stir occasionally and let the apple softened but not too much. When it done pour into glass/ceramic to cool down. Add the berries and stir roughly. (if you using frozen berries, add it when apples still on the pan. The heat will melt straight away without over cooking it).

Put oven on 375F for preheating. In the bowl add the crumble ingredients and mixed with hand until create crumbly consistency. Do not over do it otherwise the butter melt quickly. It doesn't matter if cannot cover all the grains.

Pour the crumble on top of apple and berries then bake about 45-60 minutes or until the crumble looks brownies. The berries will try to escape, probably best to put some addition plate on the second rack below the pie dish.

Served warm with custard or cold with ice cream.