Like the White Coral Mushroom we to top our Sirloin Steak with Horseradish Chive Aioli, we found these mushrooms on a hike in central Pennsylvania the other day. When working with common puffballs, there are a couple of things to watch for…the first is to make sure it’s actually a puffball and not a younger version of something not good to eat. When you cut into your puffball, it should be a firm, pure white mass that looks like soft tofu. If the colour has turned yellow or brown, or there is any gill formation starting, do not eat. And as with any mushroom, double and triple check with multiple sources to ensure you are eating something edible and safe. We had to throw out a few puffballs that were starting to yellow or brown inside, and were thus well past their usable state.
After we coated them and fried them, we wound up with a handful of morsels that had a crispy/crunchy exterior and a soft, melt in your mouth interior. We tried a few different dipping sauces to pair (not pictured), and we found Ranch Dressing, BBQ Sauce, and Sriracha Aioli to be the big winners.
We think these would be a great appetizer now that we’ve had them…but we originally served them over toasted pine nut couscous as an entree with a side of Parmesan Paprika Corn.
Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Edible Puffball Mushrooms. We used Common Puffballs.
- Egg
- All Purpose Flour
- Bread Crumbs. We used Panko.
Method:
- Wash your puffballs, and slice the bottom ends off.
- Cut each mushroom in half, and make sure all of your puffballs have the characteristic white flesh of puffballs. If they do not, throw them out, and do not eat.
- Once you’ve discarded any non-good mushrooms, grab three bowls. Place some all purpose flour in one, an beaten egg in another, and Panko (or regular) bread crumbs in the third.
- Working in batches, flour dredge, egg wash, and bread each mushroom half. Then, place your breaded mushrooms on a plate.
- Heat a little vegetable or peanut oil in a Cast Iron Dutch Oven (just enough to coat the bottom).
- When it’s hot, carefully arrange your puffballs in the pan (working in batches if you must).
- After a minute or two, rotate your mushrooms to ensure even cooking.
- Cook for another minute or two until your breading is golden brown and crispy.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
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