Sauteed Beech Mushrooms

Finding these on super sale at our local Chinese supermarket meant Cafe Drake just had to buy them. 2 packs to be precise, each a paltry 4 oz. or so. With a flavor and texture closest to oyster mushrooms, beech mushrooms (both brown and white varieties are available) don't dwindle in size as drastically as other varieties when exposed to heat. Our recipe was simple: heat 1 T. butter over a medium flame and toss in the mushrooms. Stir to coat well with butter before adding a pinch of salt and 1 T. each of mirin, soy sauce and sake (dry sherry or Chinese rice wine are both fine substitutes). Raise the heat and cook for a minute or two until most, but not all, of the liquid has been absorbed. Season again with salt and white pepper.

We served ours (see below) as part of a warm weather Japanese-influenced meal of brown rice, tofu salad and stir-fried Chinese cabbage.