I'm back... with morels!

Umm... sooo... it has apparently been almost two (TWO!?!) years since I have posted anything new on here... my bad. And what is it that can pull me from such a slump?

MORELS.

in the bag

"The gem of the Midwest," as my fellow food blogger Anny called them earlier. These, ladies and gentlemen, are the most delicious mushroom known to man (or at least to me). This has been an amazing year for morels, and this morning I got up early with my man to cash in on the amazing crop. While I obviously can't disclose the location of our hunting grounds, I can say I'm glad the guy found this sweet spot near his construction job site. After a couple of hours traipsing through the trees muddying our boots and jeans, we came away with a couple of pounds of the biggest, freshest 'shrooms I've ever found.

these boys are big

I haven't had morels in several years, so needless to say it was back to my roots with this haul. Simple, fried morels. Five ingredients. Heaven.

Fried Morels

the guy insists Prize of Iowa is the only way to go.
in this case, it does seem appropriate!

Fresh morel mushrooms (as many as you can find)
Eggs
Milk
Saltines
Butter

love my grandma's rolling pin

Clean the morels by soaking them for a few hours in water. Rinse and slice in half. In a bowl, whisk together enough eggs with a splash of milk to coat your 'shrooms. Crush up some saltine crackers in a plastic bag using a rolling pin. Meanwhile, melt some butter in a skillet and heat til just bubbling.

To assemble: dredge a morel in the egg wash, then the crackers. Pan fry in the butter. Enjoy!

We fried about two thirds of our haul, and used the rest in a divine morel and leek cream sauce, poured over asparagus (also in season at the moment!) and a medium-rare beef tenderloin. This is the first time I've cooked with morels outside of the usual fry, and I will definitely make room for more experimentation along these lines next season.

How do you treat your gems of the Midwest?