Candy caps (Lactatius rubidus) are fruiting abundantly on the Northern California coast right now. My family and I picked about 2 pounds today. For those unfamiliar, these mushrooms develop a strong maple flavor and odor when dried.
I’ve never had so many before, so I’m interested if anyone has made anything interesting with these. I’ve made ice cream in the past which was excellent but it might be good to mix things up a bit.
I’m particularly interested to see how they would work in more savory dishes and if anyone has eaten them fresh. Is it worth doing or do they need to be dried to be appreciated properly?
I've been to a mushroom themed restaurant in Monterey Bay that had a candy cap French toast that was pretty good. As far as savory dishes, the things that come to mind are either bacon/facon, like a glaze on them (or that trend of putting bacon on everything like a maple donut), a sauce for a Chinese dish in the vein of a "sesame" dish, or a Japanese teriyaki.
Good suggestions, thanks!