This dish makes a wonderful Sunday-night supper – or lunch or breakfast. I vary the kind of mushrooms I use according to the season and what I can find: in the autumn, weather permitting, a mixture of chestnut mushrooms and penny buns (cèpes in French, porcini in Italian) would be my absolute favourite. I have called for a proportionately greater weight of wild mushrooms here, since they tend to need more trimming and cleaning. Save any trimmings if you can, wash them thoroughly and use to make a delicious stock – or leave in a very low oven until completely dried, then whizz to a powder to add to soups, stews or gravies. Depending on which wild mushrooms I use, I might also substitute parsley for the tarragon.
For 4
light olive oil 1 tbsp
butter 50g
shallots 2, finely sliced
flat mushrooms 6, or 450g chestnut or button mushrooms, or 570g wild mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
tarragon 3 sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
creme fraiche 4 tbsp
eggs 4
sea salt and black pepper
toast and salad to serve
