Lost Dishes: Balaban's - Morel Mushroom Pasta

Balaban's: Morel Mushroom Pasta

David Timney became Balaban's executive chef in September of 1988 and morel mushrooms became a staple on his menus shortly thereafter. His offerings included medallions of ostrich with morels, fricassee of morels and smoked tenderloin of beef with morels. But the signature dish on Balaban's spring and early summer menus was Timney's morel mushroom pasta.


Chef David Timney	Morel Mushroom Pasta

Morel Mushroom Pasta

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 1, 2005

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

For sauce:

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ruby port
1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

For pasta:

7 oz egg linguine
5 oz fresh morel mushrooms
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper or to taste
Fresh tarragon, for garnish
Peccorino Romano cheese, for garnish
Cracked black pepper, for garnish

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, combine cream and port; simmer over medium heat until reduced by half, 15 to 16 minutes (reduce to about 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons). Transfer to blender; add vinegar and salt and pepper to taste; blend for 10 seconds. Set aside and keep warm. (Yield: About 1 1/4 cups sauce).

Cook linguine according to package directions.

Meanwhile, place mushrooms in a bowl; working quickly, cover with water, swish to remove soil and drain. If water is very dirty, repeat and drain well. Wrap mushrooms in a dry towel; shake vigorously to remove as much moisture as possible.

In a large skillet, sauté mushrooms in butter; season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup warm sauce to pan. Toss in cooked linguine. (Reserve remaining sauce for another use.)

Place pasta on serving plates; garnish with tarragon, cheese, and pepper.