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Stewed Button Mushrooms
Trim and rub clean with a cloth half a pint of large button mushrooms. Put 2 tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan, shake over the fire until melted. Put in the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, 1 teaspoonful of lemon juice, and a little mace. Simmer until tender, and serve at once on a hot dish with nice crisp toast. Or when the mushrooms are tender, add half a cupful of rich cream, cook for a few minutes, until thoroughly heated and blended, and serve on squares or rounds of buttered toast with boiled or scrambled eggs.
A straightforward butter stew of whole button mushrooms, given either plain on toast or finished with cream. The only real judgement calls are the quantity and the heat.
- Half a pint of mushroomsMushrooms here are measured by volume, as vegetables often were. Half a pint of whole buttons is roughly 3 to 4 oz (about 85-115 g) — one modest serving, or two as a garnish. Double or triple it for a side dish.
- Rub clean, do not washThe instruction to wipe with a cloth rather than rinse still holds. Mushrooms absorb water readily and waterlogged caps will steam rather than stew, diluting the butter sauce.
- TrimmingFor 1900s buttons this meant removing the stem base and, on older specimens, peeling the cap. Modern cultivated white or cremini buttons need neither; just cut off the dry end of the stalk.
- MaceMace is the outer covering of the nutmeg seed, warmer and more floral than the nut itself. Ground mace is sold in most spice ranges; a scant pinch is enough for this quantity, or use a light grating of nutmeg.
- "Simmer until tender"In a covered pan over low heat, buttons release their liquid within two or three minutes and are tender in about 8 to 10. Keep the heat gentle so the butter does not brown; the dish depends on a pale, buttery liquor.
- The cream finishHalf a cupful of "rich cream" means heavy or double cream. Add it after the mushrooms are tender and hold it just below a boil — a hard boil will split it or reduce it to a greasy film in a pan this small.
- ServingToast must go under the mushrooms at the last moment or it turns to sponge. As written this serves one generously with eggs, or two as a savoury course.