Porcini Powder

Make porcini powder by grinding up the mushrooms in a spice or coffee grinder. As long as you keep it dry, the powder will not go bad, although the flavor intensity begins to weaken a little after about 3 months. It is less expensive to buy dried porcini and make it yourself. The key is that the poricini must be very dry in order to make a fine powder. If the mushrooms are a little spongy, microwave them for about 1 minute to dry them out and let cool before making it, or spread out and bake in a 250F oven for 15-20 minutes.

This wonderful powder has many uses because it is about the most intense natural form of "umami" (the fifth taste). An old Japanese term, this enhances other foods with a "savory" or "meaty" flavor. It can be added to potato, rice or pasta dishes to bring out a very meaty underflavor. It makes a lucious butter to top vegetable dishes, add to soups or spread on toasts. In addition it works well for:

Faking a Charcoal Grilled Steak Flavor with Porcini Powder

Combine porcini powder with black pepper, sugar and kosher salt to make a rub. Use this rub to heavily coat steaks or chops (you want to form a crust on the meat). Ribeye and steaks with good fat marbling work best. You want to sear and caramelize the exterior in lightly oiled hot pan to keep the interior moist. Less marbled meats should cook sear in a medium hot pan so they do not get tough. Once seared on both sides, finish to the desired degree of doneness in a 375º oven. Serve with a dollop of porcini butter to add flavor more flavor.

Gala's Note: This works great on racks of lamb or veal!