Can Candy Cap Mushrooms be the Roger Dangerfield of the fungal world? It certainly seems that way, when 6 out of 7 of the reference books we consulted made no mention of them. Still, Candy Caps are the subject of a high percentage of the phone calls that MadAboutMushrooms receives during the year, and thus we thought they should also be the focus of one of our “101” series.
We’re indebted to a number of internet sources and to friends who collect and experiment with Candy Caps for the information in this post. Please, if you have information to add or information to dispute, let us hear from you. After all, this article is meant to benefit all of us who roam into the woodlands in search of fungal friends. Help us to share knowledge and experience by contacting us with fresh thoughts.
Do you suppose that the mythical pot of gold at the end of
this rainbow is really a patch of Candy Caps?
How best to describe Candy Caps? Major characteristics of the Candy Cap (Lactarius rubidus, formerly known as Lactarius fragilis var. rubidus) mushroom can be listed as the following:
Habitat: Look for L. rubidus along the West coast, in California, Oregon and as far north as into Washington.
You’ll encounter Candy Caps growing in moss, duff or rotting matter beneath conifers such as pine, spruce and Douglas fir or hardwoods such as Coast Live Oak and Tanoak. They can be widely scattered, gregarious or in groups, but never in true clusters.
Fruiting season: They fruit in the later part of the edible mushroom season, i.e. after most Chanterelles have reached their peak, and can continue fruiting into early springtime.
Cap: Often 1-4” wide, the caps are not sticky when wet. Their color varies from a dull orange to cinnamon or even reddish-brown and, on occasion, can be a deeper color in the middle of the cap. Margins can be wavy and or frilled; caps can be wrinkled or even. The cap ranges from broadly convex in young specimens to plane to slightly depressed in older ones. KOH on cap is negative. The flesh does not change color when sliced.
If sampled raw, which we do NOT recommend, don't swallow the sample, simply taste and then spit it out. You should find the flesh to be mild, not peppery, bitter or acrid. The raw cap does not have a maple taste – this characteristic only develops after cooking or dehydrating – although the raw mushroom may have a very faint burned or maple aroma.
Gills: These are adnate to decurrent, close, and are frequently the same color as the cap, but perhaps darkening with age.
Spores: The print will be white to pale yellowish.
Stem: The stalk will be hollow in age, smooth, slender (usually less than ½ inch in diameter), 1-2 inches in length, hairy at the base, and fragile, chalk-like, i.e. when pressure is applied in opposite directions to the stalk, it snaps like a piece of chalk.
Possible Look-Alikes: Galerinas and many other Lactarius may tempt the novice collector. However, the true Candy Cap is a one-of- a-kind mushroom, and the forager should be able to identify it using the characteristics identified in this post.
Edibility: This mushroom is favored by many for its maple syrup quality when cooked or dried, although it should be noted that some individuals find the taste to be more akin to substances such as camphor, caramel, curry, burnt sugar, butterscotch and fenugreek. Use caution when consuming Candy Caps as there are some diners who learn that they are allergic to Candy Caps. Initially, always try a new-to-you mushroom in small quantities.
Preservation: Dehydrate slowly for best results and store in an airtight container. As an extra precaution, we prefer to freeze freshly dehydrated mushrooms for several days before setting their storage container on a pantry shelf.
Special features: As a member of the Lactarius family, when the flesh is broken, a watery-whitish liquid oozes out. The color is similar to that of non-fat milk or saliva as opposed to cream and does not change color when exposed to the air. At times, the amount of the liquid can be quite small, particularly in dry weather. This latex does not stain yellow.
Cells known as lacticifers hold this latex and are thought to protect Candy Caps from being eaten. According to several sources, the odoriferous compound found in the fresh tissue and latex of the mushroom is quabalactone III, an aromatic lactone. When dried, it hydrolyzes into sotolon, an even more powerfully aromatic compound, and one of the main compounds responsible for the distinctive aroma of maple syrup, as well as that of curry. It is said that this compound is so stable that you can often smell it on your skin after consuming Candy Caps.
Commercial sources: Dehydrated Candy Caps are sold in specialty shops as well as online. Google them and you’ll soon turn up a wealth of suppliers. Be prepared to pay anywhere from $25 to $35 plus shipping for a 1 ounce package of dehydrated Candy Caps.
Culinary preparation: Grind the dehydrated product to create a powder which can be used to dust plates or to incorporate into dishes. Or, rehydrate them by steeping in a warm liquid.
Culinary uses: Experiment with Candy Caps in savory dishes featuring foods such as pork, squash, sweet potatoes, and risotto or in preparations which call for curry. Or, what about a Candy Cap infused oil? Or, perhaps you'll want to follow the fine example of several breweries and concoct a Candy Cap beer! Or, be more conventional and use Candy Caps in preparations such as: pancakes and waffles, cornbread, muffins, cinnamon toast, cookies, ice cream, hot chocolate, crème brûlée and flan, puddings.
We hope that the following spattering of recipes will stimulate your appetite and creativity for incorporating Candy Caps into your diet!
Marx Food Candy Cap Mushroom Panna Cotta
4 cups of heavy cream (we recommend 40%+ fat content, aka manufacturing cream) for best texture and flavor, but you could use any cream or milk, including half and half or even skim milk)
1 + 1/4 cups of dried candy cap mushrooms
½ cup superfine sugar or organic evaporated cane juice
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
3 + ½ tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
Neutral flavored oil (optional)
Fresh mint for garnish
- Heat the cream in a saucepan along with 1 cup of the candy caps and the superfine sugar/cane juice.
- Once it is hot (about 180 degrees, still below a simmer), cover and let stand for 30 minutes to infuse the mushrooms.
- Using a spice grinder or coffee grinder, grind the remaining 1/4 cup of candy caps into a fine powder. Mix the powder with the vanilla sugar in a small bowl.
- Bloom your gelatin by soaking it in cold water until the granules or sheets have swelled (when in doubt, see blooming directions on your gelatin box).
- Lightly oil ramekins, coffee cups, etc. to use as molds for your panna cotta using the neutral flavored oil. If you’re using silicon shaped molds (as we have) you can skip this step.
- Strain the candy caps out of the cream using a chinois or other very fine mesh strainer. Discard the mushrooms.
- Remove the gelatin from the water, and stir it into the warm cream (if the cream isn’t warm to the touch, return it to the heat long enough to dissolve the gelatin).
- Using a ladle, fill your molds, ramekins, or cups with the panna cotta base.
- Carefully transfer the panna cotta to the fridge to gel (2-4 hours).
- Once the panna cotta has gelled, carefully remove it from the molds. If it isn’t coming out easily or is breaking, try dipping the bottom of the molds in warm water to help loosen it.
- Dust the plated panna cotta with the candy cap and vanilla sugar mixture, garnish with a sprig of mint, and serve.
Candy Cap Ice Cream
Jake Godby, Sean Wahey, Paolo Lucchesi, April 2012, Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon dried candy cap mushrooms, ground to a coarse powder in a spice grinder (Chopping the dried mushrooms in a coffee grinder also works well and your next pot of coffee will be very special.)
3 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
- In a large, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until hot but not boiling. Add the ground candy caps. Remove from the heat and let steep for at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours.
- When you feel like your mushrooms are in a good place, return the pan to medium heat and bring the mixture back to hot.
- Fill a large bowl or pan with ice and water. Place a large, clean bowl in the ice bath and fit the bowl with a fine-mesh strainer.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until well blended.
- Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Slowly pour about half of the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer the yolk mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture and return it to medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula and being sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan so it doesn't scorch, until the liquid begins to steam and you can feel the spatula scrape against the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove the custard from the heat and immediately pour it through the strainer into the clean bowl you set up in the ice bath. Let cool, stirring occasionally.
- When the custard has totally cooled, cover the bowl tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight. When you are ready to freeze the custard, transfer it to an ice cream maker and spin according to the manufacturer's instructions. Eat immediately, or transfer to an airtight container, cover, and freeze for up to 1 week.
Candy Cap Dessert Sauce
Eugenia Bone, Guest Blogger at The Denver Post
To make a dessert sauce for four, soak four tablespoons of Candy Caps in about two cups of cool water. After about fifteen minutes the mushrooms will be soft. Remove the mushrooms and strain the liquid through a fine strainer, as there may be some forest grit in there.
Pour the Candy Cap soaking liquid and the mushrooms (they’re small) into a small heavy bottomed pot. Add sugar to taste. I’d start with a half cup of sugar.
Bring the syrup to a low boil over a medium low. You may have to boil the syrup for as long as twenty minutes—the mushrooms will become sweeter over time. Just give the syrup a taste and see if you need more sugar.
The syrup holds in the fridge for a few days, but gets pretty gummy—you’ll need to add water to reheat.
To use, pour the syrup over cheesecake, stir into rice pudding, dump onto vanilla ice cream… it’s excellent served with baked apples (sometime I stick a couple of the cooked mushrooms into the apple, then garnish the finished apple with the sauce), bread pudding, and pancakes or crepes.
Rebecca Masson’s Candy Cap Bread Pudding
10 ounces brioche, crust removed
6 ounces white sugar
½ cup dried candy cap mushrooms
8 ounces heavy cream
2 ounces dark brown sugar
11 ounces milk
1 egg yolk
2 eggs
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
- Cut brioche into cubes and place in a buttered casserole dish large enough to hold (a 13" x 9" pan will work).
- Grind white sugar and mushrooms together in a food processor and set aside.
- In a heavy saucepan, bring to boil cream, the mixture of white sugar and mushrooms, the dark brown sugar and most of the milk (about 9 ounces). In a large bowl, whisk eggs and remainder (2 ounces) of milk.
- Temper cream into eggs, stirring constantly. Strain the egg/cream mixture into the casserole. Let bread absorb the egg/cream mixture. Sprinkle top with turbinado sugar.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Mykoweb’s Curried Rice with Mushrooms
Roma Wagner
The use of curry powder demands a mushroom with strong flavor, such as the common store mushroom, shaggy parasol, horse mushroom, or candy cap.
2 cups water
Salt to taste
1 cup brown rice
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped
3/4 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 cup chutney, minced
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons raisins, chopped
- In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil, add the salt, and stir in the rice. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and steam 35 to 40 minutes or until tender.
- In a sauté pan or skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onion, celery, and mushrooms for about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and continue to blend until the vegetables are nicely browned. Add the chutney to the curry mixture and fold the entire mixture into the brown rice. Add the pine nuts and raisins just before serving.
Manresataurant’s Candy Cap Punch Cocktail
Jeff Bareilles, Manresa's Wine and Beverage Director
Candy Cap Punch
3 ounces candy cap mushroom infusion (below)
1 bottle (750ml) of dry lightly sparkling white wine such as Colline Savonesi Lumassina Frizzante produced by Tommaso Ruffino & Family Lumassina in Punta Crena, Italy
- In a punch bowl combine 1 bottle of sparkling white wine and 3 ounces of candy cap mushroom infusion, lightly stir and pour into punch glasses or Champagne coups.
Candy Cap Mushroom Infusion
450 grams cane sugar
675 grams granulated sugar
1000 grams water
212 grams glucose syrup
300 grams fresh candy cap mushrooms or 150 grams dried candy cap mushrooms
- Combine and whisk cane sugar, granulated sugar, water and glucose syrup in a large pot and bring to a boil. Then add candy cap mushrooms, remove from heat and let cool. Strain and refrigerate.