Whole roasted king trumpet.

Everything about a king trumpet suits slow roasting: dense flesh that will not collapse, low water content, a natural sweetness that caramelises, and a shape that carves. This is the recipe for the meal where the mushroom is the point rather than an accompaniment.

Forty minutes, almost entirely unattended, and it looks like something that took much longer.

What you need

Mushrooms

• 4 very large king trumpet mushrooms
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1½ tsp flaky salt

Basting

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 whole garlic head, halved crossways
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 2 tbsp dry sherry or white wine

To finish

• Lemon zest
• Chopped parsley
• Black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Split each mushroom lengthways through cap and stem, keeping the halves intact.
2. Score the cut faces in a diamond pattern about a quarter-inch deep — deeper than for scallop coins, because this cooks much longer.
3. Sear the cut faces first in an ovenproof pan with the oil, 4 minutes, until well coloured. This builds the flavour base and the colour that roasting alone will not give you.
4. Turn cut-side up, add the butter, garlic halves and herbs, and slide the pan into the oven.
5. Roast 30–35 minutes, basting with the pan butter every 10 minutes. The mushrooms will shrink, deepen in colour, and go tender all the way through.
6. Add the sherry in the last 5 minutes, scraping the pan base as it bubbles.
7. Rest 5 minutes, then finish with lemon zest, parsley and pepper. Carve across the halves at the table and spoon the pan juices over.

Sear, then roast

Skipping the initial sear is the one shortcut that costs you the dish. A dry oven at 400°F will cook the mushroom through but will not give the cut face that dark, sweet crust — you need direct pan contact for that. Four minutes buys the whole difference.

Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skins into the pan juices and mash it through. That, spooned over the carved mushroom, is the best part of the plate.

What to serve it with

Treat it like a roast: potatoes in the same oven, a green vegetable, and the pan juices as gravy. Or on a white bean purée with the juices poured over. A sharp, dressed salad on the side stops it feeling heavy.

Scaling

Two mushrooms per person as a main, one as a starter. It holds well in a low oven for twenty minutes if the rest of dinner is running late, which makes it unusually forgiving for a centrepiece. King trumpet also keeps seven to ten days, so it can be bought well ahead.

Common questions