When purchasing Cepes:

- The fresher the better. They loose around 15% of their water each day. I once purchased some OK looking cepes in Rodez, and kept them in an outside cool area for 2 days. They dried up & were pretty poor by the time I cooked them.

- when initially purchasing them, make sure they are solid. Squeeze the base if you can & it should not "give" at all. Only around 20% of the vendors let me even touch the mushroom. Often they look OK from the outside, but have dried out & are hollow or have rotted on the inside. In Paris last year, the vendor picked out the mushrooms for me. When I cut them up, they were rotten on the inside. The vendor gave me new ones (free) a couple of days later when he received a new crop.

- The Cepe will most likely have dirt on the root side. scrape or slice it off. You probably won't be able to brush the dirt off with a mushroom brush.

- Like I mentioned earlier, I prefer the base. I think they have more flavor than the caps. I look for bases that have become detached from their cap & purchase them.

- Store them in a cool place. Do not store them in a plastic bag - they'll "sweat" & become mushy. A paper bag or bowl is better. Use them the same day you purchase them.

- better to undercook them than to overcook.

Stu Dudley

Can you also purchase them already prepared in most restaurants at that time of year?

Don't recall seeing them on that many menus. Since we cook them at the Gite or Apt where we're staying, we've only ordered them a couple of times at restaurants. If you see them on a menu, ask if they are fresh or if they are dried ones that they added water to. There is no comparison between the dried & fresh.

Stu Dudley