To the woods for a fungi hunt today, but I came back with blackberries instead of mushrooms!
So I decided to be experimental with my leftover cordyceps, after a few months of staring at it in the cupboard and making sure I didn’t breathe in the spores, worried they might grow inside me, haha!
Well, I’ve recently become confident that the spores cannot really grow inside the human body because it’s too warm for them. They prefer cold-blooded insects. But these commercial ones can actually grow without an insect. The spores are introduced into a liquid medium that contains grains, sugar, and amino acids, and then they harvest the mycelium as a supplement. They can also be grown on sterilised rice, millet, or rye to produce the fruiting bodies, which are then dried, like what I have here, so no bugs are involved!
Cordyceps have a slightly nutty, a bit sweet, and full of umami flavour. Yes, I tasted it raw, haha! So I wanted to try it in a sweet dessert.
Having already picked blackberries, I figured I might as well use them.
I decided on .. hmm!
🍨Crunchy Cordyceps with Blackberry & Mint Sorbets🍃
Ingredients:
For Crunchy Cordyceps:
1 cup dried cordyceps mushrooms
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup cold water (adjust for thin batter consistency)
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
Vegetable oil for frying
🍨 For the Blackberry Sorbet:
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water (for cornstarch slurry)
Juice of 1 lemon
🍃 For the Mint Sorbet:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water (for cornstarch slurry)
1 cup fresh mint leaves (loosely packed)
Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions:
🍨 Make the Blackberry Sorbet
In a saucepan, heat 1 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar until the sugar dissolves.
In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp cold water to create a slurry.
Blend blackberries and stir in the puree and lemon juice into the cooled syrup.
Gradually whisk the slurry into the hot sugar syrup. Stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and glossy (2-3 mins).
Remove from heat, cool and strain.
🍃 Make the Mint Sorbet
Heat 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar until dissolved.
Whisk in cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp cold water) and cook until the syrup thickens. Remove from heat.
Steep mint leaves in syrup. Blend to extract further. (optional)
Stir in lemon juice and cool, and strain.
Pour both sorbets into a container and freeze.
Every 30 minutes, stir vigorously to break ice crystals until smooth (about 2 hours or more).
🍄 Prepare the Thin Batter & Fry Cordyceps
Whisk rice flour, salt, sugar, and cold water in a bowl until smooth and thin (like heavy cream). Adjust the water if needed.
Heat oil to 350°F (175°C).
Add cordyceps into the batter.
Fry in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
🍨 Assemble and Serve
Arrange fried cordyceps on serving plates.
Serve alongside quenelles of blackberry and mint sorbets. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and lemon zest.
Or top with scoops of the sorbets.
Or simply in a glass, with cruchy cordyceps!
The sorbet was smooth, fruity, sweet and citrusy with the freshness of mint, paired well with the crunchy, savoury and crunchy cordyceps!
It was a lovely refreshment as it was warm today!
Have a lovely day,
Mariah 😊🍄