Not that any of us would imagine eating snails—this beloved Frenchified dish—served in an elegant butter sauce. Here is a vegetarian workaround for an equally, elevated dish
I wanted to convert common brown mushrooms into something both fermented and delectable. The texture and umami brine make it shine, kinda-like escargot!
If snails in the title are still repulsive, well let’s just call ’em Shroom Balls
Makes 1 Qt.
INGREDIENTS: Choose smallish, whole brown creminis [aka mini-portobellos]. Ghee is clarified butter that stays liquid when refrigerated [find at Indian or International stores]
creminis – 24 oz, clean with damp cloth, left whole
fish sauce – 1 1/2 TBS [or vegetarian Worcestershire sauce]
Note cremini mushrooms are wrinkled after roasting
INSTRUCTIONS: Note: if you can not ferment the roasted mushrooms after cooking; then refrigerate and rebake at 425º until they dry out and look dry and wrinkled
Preheat oven to 425º while cleaning mushroom caps with a damp cloth
Use a sheet of foil on a baking sheet: spray with oil and space mushroom caps evenly about the sheet; then spray caps with oil
Bake for 45-75 minutes: until the caps are dark brown and wrinkled
Cool caps and make the brine and prep the remaining ingredients
Toss the caps with the minced ingredients
Lightly pound the parsley stems and stuff into bottom of fermentor jar
Continue and load the jar with the caps mixture
Pour in the brine and seal the fermentor according to maker’s instructions
Ferment 3 days; then refrigerate and enjoy
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
Enjoy as an appetizer with gourmet buttered crackers or buttered toast , or slice as a salad topper
COOK SHARE 
Do you prefer to make your own capers in brine or do you use the brine from store bought jars of capers?
I’m excited to try this!
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I use store bought, easy-peasy!
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