The boletus, one product, two possibilities

The Boletaceae family includes various species of wild mushrooms, some edible, others indigestible, even toxic. The name “cep”, just like the “cep” of the vine, comes from the Latin cippus, which means “trunk”. Only two species are legally entitled to the trade name “cèpe”: the cepe of Bordeaux, or cepe of autumn, Boletus edulis, and the tan boletus, black boletus or black-headed boletus, Boletus aereus, considered the best and associated with holm oak in the Mediterranean area. Are also very often marketed under the same name the boletus of the pines, Boletus pinophilus, and the summer or reticulated boletus, Boletus aestivalis Where Boletus reticulatus.

Characterized by a globular ocher or dark brown hat tending towards the convex, white pores becoming greenish yellow and a stocky stem, these ceps are differentiated by the time of year in which they appear and by their environment, some being found rather in light deciduous woods in the plain, others in coniferous forests. It is best to harvest them young, as they quickly become wormy. Highly sought after and appreciated for their flavor as well as for their firm and dense texture, they are sometimes sold at very high prices, ranging from €15 per kilo in rural markets to €60 per kilo in the big cities. The ideal is of course to pick them yourself, as long as you know the good spots…

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Modest

Freshly picked, the boletus can be eaten raw, in thin slices in a salad or a flavored carpaccio with a drizzle of hazelnut oil. Unless it is simply pan-fried with garlic and parsley, added to an omelet or to a potato cake with sweet onions like at Julien Duboué. The dried boletus also makes a tasty broth.

Luxurious

Ceps are often combined with foie gras, in ravioli for example. At Chocho, chef Thomas Chisholm offers a plate of roasted porcini mushrooms, pine pesto and burnt butter sabayon. At Régis and Jacques Marcon, it is cooked whole in a chestnut leaf or praline in a venison dish.

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