Morel Media Dinner 2018

The Chicago Foodie Sisters returned this year to Eagle Ridge Resort in Galena for their annual morel hunt where members of the media area taken out to do some hunting in the woods on the resort grounds, led by Eagle Ridge’s executive chef and the director of food and beverage.

The dinner is always a complete masterpiece, from the amazing centerpieces that bring the outdoors inside to the super creative dishes with so many unusual combinations of flavors that just amaze you with every bite.

This year Mother Nature didn’t make it very easy for moral hunters. The cold and snow that worked it’s way well into April pushed the season back, so we weren’t expecting to find much. The group did end up finding a few, though and those finds yielded some major rejoicing. 

The night before the hunt, we all gathered for dinner in the ballroom overlooking Lake Galena. We started with lobster stuffed morels with grilled asparagus, spring pea purée, La Quercia pancetta, lobster consommé and fizzled leeks. Besides the food being incredibly delicious, it’s also presented in such an artistic way - and this dish was a beauty.

Following it was Turkey Morel Rosalind Romagnola with turkey breast pooche roti, fois gras torchon, spinach sfoglia, morels, ramps, garlic citrus cream, mozzarella and asiago with an intermezzo of verjus sorbet before the Involtini Di Vitello - veal ribeye cutlets, spinach, fontina, prosciutto di parma, lemon, capers, haricot vert, tarragon cherry tomato sauce and sparzle. The finish was a morel gelato with chocolate candied bacon, rhubarb coulis, strawberries and pistachio Florentine.

Each year, we are completely wowed by the dinner and then the next year we come back thinking that it can’t be topped and they blow us away again. And then we are wowed again the following day with a specially prepared lunch with morels used in each course. There’s nothing that compares to this experience elsewhere. Take a peek at what we enjoyed for dinner.