Recipe by Lee Carroll, BHSc (WHM), BSc
The Most Unexpected Ice Cream, Ever?
Chocolate ice cream and roasted white button mushrooms probably isn’t a combination you’d expect to find together. Yet after plenty of experimenting in the kitchen, it has become one of my favourite creations, and one that will be appearing in my upcoming book, The Medicinal Mushroom Kitchen.
But no, I’m not giving away the recipe just yet…
What I will say is that roasting transforms the humble button mushroom into something completely different. As moisture evaporates, their natural glutamates become concentrated, creating a rich, deeply savoury flavour with remarkable complexity. It’s this transformation that makes white button mushrooms one of the most versatile ingredients you can cook with. They’re just as comfortable in desserts as they are in risottos, soups and pasta sauces, if you know how to use them.
Button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) are often overlooked because they’re so familiar. We tend to assume that the more exotic the mushroom, the greater the health benefits. The research tells a different story.
In fact, white button mushrooms have one of the strongest collections of human clinical trials of any edible mushroom. Regular servings of around 100 grams a day have been associated with improvements in satiety, metabolic health and immune function. Studies have also linked regular intake during pregnancy with lower rates of gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension. While no single food is a magic bullet, it’s impressive evidence for a mushroom that’s inexpensive, widely available and easy to cook with.
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They’re also a valuable dietary source of ergothioneine, a unique antioxidant that has become a major focus of my research over recent years.
Although button mushrooms contain less ergothioneine than some specialty species, they’re eaten far more frequently, making them an important contributor to everyday intake.
One of the reasons I wanted to include this recipe in my book is that it challenges expectations. Mushrooms don’t have to stay in the savoury section of the menu. When treated with a little creativity, and a lot of respect, they can surprise you in the best possible way.
If you’ve only ever sliced button mushrooms onto a pizza or tossed them into a stir-fry, there is a whole world of possibilities waiting to be discovered.
The roasted white button mushroom and chocolate ice cream recipe is just the beginning.
The Medicinal Mushroom Kitchen is coming soon…