Dip, Douse, Dunk: Three Excellent Ways to Eat More Mushrooms

I was young but feeling grown-up at a steakhouse in the suburbs, skipping over kids’ menu classics in favor of ordering a side of mushrooms. They came in a considerably large bowl, halved, sautéed, and nestled in a pool of brown garlic butter. I took one bite and my 10-year-old mind registered a new type of magnificence—the real adults at the table found it laughable how much I obsessed over them. Indeed, the mushrooms had an immediate hold over me. 

Decades later, I’m still convinced those mushrooms were perfect. Perhaps they were topped with some herbs that I can’t remember, or the garlic butter was actually a more intricate sauce involving roux and stock—it doesn’t matter. Throughout culinary school and since working in the industry, I’ve approached all mushrooms with the same elation, from the classroom and the kitchen to menus everywhere, and of course, at home. Seared black trumpets? Brilliant. Tender chanterelles? An absolute delight. Raw white buttons, thinly sliced and dressed with oil and lemon juice on top of a white pizza? Are you kidding me?!