This recipe is based on one I found quite by accident in the Google Books database. Say what you want about Google, but I for one am immeasurably thankful to the visionaries at that company who invested in scanning millions of long out-of-print books in the British Library, the Library of Congress and numerous universities. Those works are available to all of us, at no charge, almost instantaneously. The gem of a cookbook I unearthed is by a nineteenth century French baron, Léon Brisse, who compiled about 1400 recipes from his own kitchen, which were later translated by Edith Matthew Clark and published in London in 1892. I’ve included the entire original recipe in the notes below. That recipe does not call for the addition of any spice, other than salt and pepper. After reading last year however, in Russ Parson’s “How to Pick a Peach,” about how the French chef Michel Richard seasons mushrooms with a tiny pinch of curry powder, I’ve been experimenting by doing the same, with virtually every dish in which I use mushrooms. A tiny pinch provides a subtle complexity in the background; one should not discern the spice mixture itself. I don’t care much for the bright yellow hue of turmeric which one finds in conventional curry blends, so I make my own, without it. I’ve posted quite a few recipes over the past six months which include this “white curry” blend. When I found the Brisse recipes, I was fascinated to see that his recipe for duxelles calls for “mixed spice.” I did a bit of research, starting with Auguste Escoffier’s compendium of French classics, “The Escoffier Cook Book.” Although it was published some 15 years after the first Brisse compilation, I have no reason to believe that the Escoffier “Spices” recipe is not, at the very least, quite close to what Brisse’s cooks used. I’ve posted an adapted recipe of the Escoffier “Spices” formula elsewhere on food52, but for your convenience I’ve included it below, as well. If you haven’t the time or inclination to grind for yourself Escoffier’s blend, the “white curry” that I’ve been using is a fine substitute. (See Step 8.) The lightest possible touch of a traditional quatre-épices would also work. Serve these with grilled meats or fish, or with toothpicks as hors d’oeuvres (using smaller button mushrooms), or quarter and toss with a whole grain or pasta salad. They’re also perfect in omelettes. Enjoy!! ;o)

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