Truffles…shiitakes…morels – mushrooms conjure visions of one of the most intriguing and subtle of all comestibles. The average cook can be mystified by how best to prepare these gastronomic treats, while epicures hunger for new ways to expand their repertoires. Jane Grigson presents more than 250 mushroom recipes – from simple to highly sophisticated – for soups, sauces, stuffings, main courses, and more that will satisfy the curiosity and appetites of mushroom dabblers and diehards alike. Included are helpful tips for selecting and preserving the best edible mushrooms (both wild and cultivated), the folklore behind the recipes, a brief history of mushroom cultivation, guides to distinguish edible from poisonous fungi for those who venture to pick their own, and charming line drawings of the twenty-one most common species. While poet W. H. Auden immortalized “dear Jane Grigson” in The Entertainment of the Senses, Grigson, an artiest in her trade, is best known for her own wonderful books on food. The Mushroom Feast is an indispensable classic for all those who love mushrooms as much as this rare find: a fine, timeless, literary cookbook. (6 X 9, 352 pages, illustrations)