Porcini mushroom powder is made by grinding dried porcini mushrooms into a fine powder. This mushroom powder makes a convenient way to add the earthy flavor of mushrooms to a dish without a lot of fuss. Add the powder to omelets, soups, stews, gravies, or pasta sauces. See more use suggestions below.
Look for porcini powder in gourmet markets although it may be difficult to find locally. You can also find porcini powder online online at Amazon.com. It is also available at Earthy.com. This product is not inexpensive it costs roughly $2.50 to $5.00 an ounce. The good news is you don't typically use a lot of it per serving.
If you don't have porcini mushroom powder:
You can grind your own. (see instructions below). Dried porcini mushrooms are less expensive and more readily available. Grind the mushrooms in a small spice grinder until the powder is fine then used as your recipe suggests.
**Tip: Only grind the amount you need for the recipe unless you're going to use the rest within a month or so. The powder does not retain its flavor as long as whole dried mushrooms do.
Although you can grind the mushrooms in a food processor, depending on how sharp your blade is, they may not grind as evenly. You may have to sift the powder after grinding in the food processor.
Alternately; you can use another mushroom powder that you purchase or make yourself. Not all mushrooms have the same pungency as porcini mushrooms so choose your substitute accordingly.
Berkshire Blue Cheese Bread Pudding With Porcini Powder - A savory bread pudding recipe includes leeks, garlic, mushrooms, and porcini powder and porcini oil and of course Berkshire Blue Cheese.
Chicken Scaloppini with Porcini Powder and Rosemary Sauce - Chicken breasts are sliced and pounded thin, then sauteed in butter then topped with a sauce made with white wine, chicken stock, fresh rosemary, toasted pine nuts and porcini mushroom powder.
Sprinkle it over a butter lettuce salad - I had this recently at a little local restaurant. The powder was soft so you didn't perceive any grittiness and it added a beautiful earthy flavor.
image credit: gourmetsleuth.com
Take a look at the Culinary Alchemy page for more great ideas on how to use Porcini Powder.
I keep a bag of dried porcini mushrooms on hand most of the time. You'll need about 3 tablespoons of dried porcini mushrooms per tablespoon of powder you need.
Place the dried mushrooms in a coffee grinder and grind them until smooth, see the powder in the picture below.
If you do have extra, store in small container with a tightly fitting lid. The less extra air space the better. Use it within a month.