Late June to October
Caesar's mushroom
Amanita caesarea
EdibilityGood edible mushroom
- Raw
- Do not eat raw
- Cooking
- Thorough cooking required, minimum time not established
- Review
- Review by an experienced specialist required before any consumption
A spectacular Amanita with a very high risk of confusion: the yellow gills, yellow ring and white volva must remain visible together.
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Guide contents
Guide contents
Season
From late June or July until October, sometimes later in warm areas.
Habitat
Open, warm and well-drained oak or chestnut woodland, as well as some sunny edges after humid heat or thunderstorms.
Method
Check several visible features before retaining a species name.
Three features to check on the specimen.
Orange cap without warts
The smooth cap ranges from orange to reddish orange, with a clearly striate margin on open specimens and no persistent white warts.
Free golden-yellow gills
The gills are crowded, free and golden yellow to orange-yellow. White gills do not match this guide.
Yellow ring, white volva
The stem and hanging ring are yellow, while the whole base sits in a thick, white, sack-shaped volva.
Examine the specimen in this order.
- Lift the entire base from the soil without tearing it abruptly so the white sack-shaped volva can be examined.
- On an open specimen, confirm the free yellow gills, yellow stem, yellow ring and white volva together.
- Never use a young closed white egg: a documented longitudinal section must already reveal orange and yellow tissues.
Features incompatible with this species.
- Amanita phalloides can be deadly: white gills, a pale stem or the assessment of a closed egg require an immediate stop.
- Yellow forms of Amanita muscaria retain white gills and a white stem, often with warts and a base arranged in rings or scales.
- Amanita crocea and the orange grisette group have no ring and their gills remain cream to white.
From an inspected basket to the kitchen
From an inspected basket to the kitchenDrying, storage and two recipes for Caesar's mushroom.
Two cooked uses of Caesar's mushroom, reserved for a complete batch whose identification has been confirmed by an expert.
Pan-fried Caesar's mushrooms with potatoes
A thoroughly cooked pan dish in which thin slices join already browned potatoes after expert validation of the batch.
- Preparation
- 25 min
- Cooking
- 35 min
- Serves
- 4
View the complete recipe
Ingredients
- 350 gOpen Caesar's mushrooms inspected by an expert
- 700 gWaxy potatoes
- 2 c. à soupeOlive oil
- 20 gButter
- 1Garlic clove, chopped
- 2 c. à soupeFlat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 pincéeSalt and pepper
Method
- Validate and prepareUse only open specimens from the inspected batch. Clean them, keep the characters visible until inspection, then slice them.
- Brown the potatoesDice the potatoes and cook them in the oil for 15 minutes, first covered and then uncovered.
- Cook the mushroomsAdd the inspected slices and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring. Add the butter and garlic for the final 3 minutes.
- ServeSeason, add the parsley and serve immediately, without keeping any portion raw.
This recipe requires prior expert inspection of the complete batch. Do not cook any closed egg, incomplete specimen or mushroom with white gills, and maintain 20 minutes of cooking for the mushroom.
Fully cooked Caesar's mushroom risotto
A fully cooked risotto with no uncooked garnish, for a batch previously inspected by an expert.
- Preparation
- 25 min
- Cooking
- 35 min
- Serves
- 4
View the complete recipe
Ingredients
- 300 gOpen Caesar's mushrooms inspected by an expert
- 300 gCarnaroli rice
- 1 LHot vegetable stock
- 1Shallot, chopped
- 10 clDry white wine
- 40 gParmesan, grated
- 30 gButter
- 1 c. à soupeOlive oil
Method
- Cook the mushroomsAfter expert inspection, slice the open specimens and cook them in the oil for 20 minutes. Keep warm.
- Toast the riceSauté the shallot in half the butter, add the rice and then the wine, and allow it to evaporate.
- Cook the riceAdd the stock one ladle at a time for 18 minutes, stirring regularly.
- CombineFold in the cooked mushrooms, remaining butter and Parmesan. Rest for 2 minutes before serving.
Never replace expert inspection with MycoRadar. Every part used is cooked for 20 minutes and no raw slice should be added when plating.
Documented limit
Drying Caesar's mushroom: no retained protocol
This guide validates no species-specific drying time.This guide does not apply a generic drying time to Caesar's mushroom. It recommends very short refrigeration of the inspected batch so that the method remains documented and appropriate for the species.
- Keep the batch whole, identifiable and separate until the inspection required by the guide.
- Do not automatically apply the temperature or duration intended for another species.
- Use the “Very short refrigeration of the inspected batch” method detailed in the Storage section instead.
- Read the general drying guide to understand equipment, checks and safety limits without inferring a protocol for this batch.
Recommended storage
Very short refrigeration of the inspected batch
No more than 24 hours at 4 °C or below after inspection, without exceeding the date set by the expert service.For this species with a critical confusion risk, the most cautious method is to cook the inspected batch promptly rather than extend its storage.
- Have the whole, open specimens inspected and separated from other species before culinary storage.
- Place the dry batch in a clean breathable container, away from other foods.
- Refrigerate immediately at 4 °C or below and label the container with the species, date and inspection note.
- Cook within 24 hours, without freezing or drying a batch whose characters are no longer readable.
- Discard any damaged specimen and never preserve wild mushrooms by home canning.
