Hedgehog or Sweet Tooth Mushrooms:

Photo courtesy of Meadow Fall Farm, Thank you!

The spines say it all!

Commonly known as the sweet tooth, wood hedgehog or hedgehog mushroom, I ate a lot of them on Alone. This edible was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 in his works which is wonderful to me as its the period of time I love to teach about.

Commonly known as the shingled hedgehog or scaly hedgehog (Latin name:Sarcodon imbricatus), is a species of tooth fungus. The mushroom is edible. Some people say it has a bitter taste, I do not, I found it delicious when I ate it on the Alone Show.

Where Does The Hedgehog Mushroom Grow?

Sweet Tooth is famous for featuring thousands of soft spines on the underside of its cap. It usually grows near hardwood or conifer trees like cypresses, willows, and magnolias during summer and fall. they are closely related to the Chanterelle Mushroom

How To Identify The Hedgehog Mushroom

Odour: Fruity to indistinct. When raw (nibble, taste, spit out) a bit acrid or bitter.
Cap: 3–15 cm in diameter. The cap shape is initially rounded and sometimes creased or irregularly crumpled, flattening with age. The margin is rolled inwards towards the stem. The surface is a pale pinkish-orange cream colour, staining ochre when damaged. The matt surface is characteristic. The flesh is thick and white, a bit brittle in the cap. White-capped specimens occasionally occur as well.
Spines: Densely set on the underside of the cap and the upper part of the stem. They are up to 1 cm long, cream to pale apricot-coloured, and they break off easily.
Stem: 2–10 cm long x 1 –4 cm wide, often widest just above the base. White, but staining ochre when damaged. The stem is solid, and firm.
Ring or veil: None.
Cup: None.
Spores: 8–9 x 6–7 µm, smooth. WHITE spore print
Habitat: On the ground in Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) and mixed conifer forests; ectomycorrhizal.
Geographic distribution:According to DNA-based definitions, sweet tooth mushrooms found in North America aren’t H. repandum but a similar edible species called “Hydnum washingtonianum.” Hydnum washingtonianum, the American hedgehog, is known only from North America.

How To Forage And Store Hedgehog Mushrooms

Foraging Hedgehog mushrooms is always a joy, they grow often in nice clusters and you know you have a great feast waiting for you when you get home!

The spines are quite fragile so I always place them facing up with the spines showing, it works the best and there is less breakage, foraging bags tend to break them unless you place a cardboard container inside.

When storing Hedgehog mushrooms, fresh is always best (within 3 or 4 days) I have cleaned by dipping in water or using a water spray to remove debris and frozen my mushrooms and still kept its original taste. They dehydrate very well if cut into slices and make an excellent mushroom flour so try that too. If you’re not planning on eating them right away store them in your refrigerator or cool dark area. Put in a roomy paper bag or box facing upwards to protect the spines.

Hedgehog Mushroom, Leek, Cheddar & Rosemary Tart

Firstly, the crust!

Depending on how much time you have to prepare There is a recipe HERE to show you how to make a wonderful flaky pastry crust for your tart. If you don't have time, go grab a 9-10 inch deep dish premade on and then gather the rest of your ingredients!

Tart Ingredieints

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium-large leeks, trimmed and sliced crosswise (white and light green portions only) (9 ounces or 4 cups sliced)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 ounces cleaned, trimmed, sliced hedgehog mushrooms
2 cups cream (or half and half)
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons, peeled, minced garlic
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary
3 ounces grated, aged cheddar (about 2 loosely packed cups)
1 ounce finely grated Parmesan (about 1/3 cup)
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground white pepper, to taste

How to Make Your Tart

To prepare oven, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F.
To prepare leeks, in a large pan, melt the butter and slowly cook the leek and garlic until translucent and tender, without browning. Remove from the heat.
To prepare mushrooms, in a small sauté pan, over medium-high heat, melt the butter and quickly cook the mushrooms to release their liquid. After a minute or so, they will have shrunk considerable. With a slotted spoon, remove to a bowl. (Don’t overcook hedgehogs, as they tend to disintegrate.) Reduce the liquid in the pan to 2 tablespoons and pour into a small bowl. Reserve.
To prepare the tart custard, in a 4-cup glass measuring cup, whisk cream, eggs, garlic, and rosemary until eggs are well incorporated. Season custard well with salt and pepper. Taste to ensure the seasoning is adequate.
To fill tart, sprinkle a little cheese over the bottom of the pastry shell (melting it quickly under a broiler if you like, to help ensure a crisp bottom crust), and then evenly distribute the leek mixture over the top.
Pour custard over leek mixture, taking care not to overfill. Leave ¼- to ½-inch top edge clearance. (If there is custard remaining, fill a cup and use later!
Sprinkle top of the tart with remaining cheese.
Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes. The top will look set but will NOT be fully domed at the center. Overbaking the custard causes it to curdle.
Remove tart from oven and cool on a wire rack, allowing at least 10 minutes of set-up time before cutting. (Actually, quiche tastes best when cooled just a bit.)
Remove rim of the tart pan and cut into eight wedges to serve. (Because of the delicate pastry, I find it better to cut through the top edge with a serrated bread knife, changing to a flat-bladed knife to finish the bottom of each slice. This way the pastry doesn’t break or shatter.

Serves 6-8.ENJOY!!