lion’s mane mushroom mornay

SERVES 6 TO 8

When I was a child, my next-door neighbor, Miss Leslie, always had the most fabulous party on Christmas Eve. Upon entering her house there was a table full of the most delicious collection of dishes brought by all the guests. One of the most popular dishes at the party was my mother’s crab dip: a creamy, cheesy sauce with jumbo lump crab meat. It was always one of the first dips to go, leaving the sad and hardly touched seven-layer dip feeling all kinds of resentment. Fast forward to when I moved back to Mississippi and went foraging one cold day in November. I stumbled upon some wild lion’s mane mushrooms growing on the Natchez Trace Parkway. The first thing that popped into my head was the crab dip! You see, the texture of the lion’s mane mushroom is succulent and delicately fibrous, just like crab meat. It’s the perfect substitution. If you can’t forage your own lion’s mane or source any at your local farmers’ market, you can easily substitute oyster, button, or shiitake mushrooms, although the texture won’t be quite as spot on. The white wine and sherry provide the perfect roundness, just like the classic recipe. Note: This dip is indulgent and is meant for a party. Don’t cut your eyes at me when you’re reading the ingredient list!

2 cups filtered water

1 cup raw cashews

½ cup nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon mellow white miso or chickpea miso

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 pound lion’s mane or white button mushrooms

½ cup vegan butter

½ cup minced shallots

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons sherry

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Thinly sliced green onions, for garnish

Fresh parsley, for garnish

Crackers, to dip

  1. In a blender, combine the water, cashews, nutritional yeast, miso, and lemon juice and blend until smooth and creamy. Set the cashew cream aside.

  2. If using lion’s mane, tear into bite-size pieces. If using button, slice into bite-size pieces.

  3. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the white wine and sherry and use a wooden spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the cashew cream, stirring frequently until the mixture becomes thick, similar to a dip. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  4. Transfer to a serving dish or small slow cooker and garnish with green onions and parsley. Serve with crackers.