Puffballs are an amazing late summer treat, often popping up almost overnight and appearing like a soccer ball in the forest. These massive mushrooms are not just spectacular in their form, but their flavour is truly remarkable. Check out our suggestions on how to cook a puffball.

Pan Fried Puffball
Slice a puffball as you would a loaf of bread, into 1 1/2 inch slices. Melt a large spoon of butter in a frying pan and place the slice of puffball onto the hot butter and olive oil then flip quickly before it absorbs all the fat. Fry at a medium heat on both sides until the slice is browned and now about 3/4 inches thick. Salt and pepper to taste. Puffballs have the capacity to suck up prestigious amounts of butter.

1 large slice of Puffball peeled 
2-3 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Grilled Puffball
My favorite and very simple recipe is grilling or barbecued puffball. Using a 1 1/2 inch slice of puffball, brush liberally with a mixture of olive oil and fresh garlic. Place on the grill at medium heat and cook until golden brown and about 3/4 inches thick. You can cook it less or more but overcooking will result in a tough less palatable finished dish.

1 Large slice of puffball cut 1 and 1/2 inch thick and peeled
2 Cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoons of light olive oil
salt to taste

Puffball Omelette
Start a shallot in butter and add about 2 cups of puffball once the shallots become translucent, continue to saute until puffballs start to pick up a little colour. Beat 4 medium eggs and pour into a medium hot pan, fold in the sides of the egg and let spread out again and then add the puffball mixture to one half of the pan. Cook slowly and then flip other half on top and simmer briefly and serve. Add salt, pepper or cayenne to taste.

1 small puffball peeled and cubed
1 medium shallot chopped fine
4 eggs beaten till homogenous 
3 Tablespoons of butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Baked Puffball Pizza
Take a slice of puffball and place on a greased ovenproof pan or cookie sheet. Brush with melted butter, tomato sauce and grate some cheese over the surface and grill until cheese starts to brown. Alternatively you could scrap the tomato and make cheese on toasted puffball or use a bechamel sauce. 

1 slice of Puffball peeled roughly 10-12 inches wide (they can get wider than that!)
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons of tomato or pizza sauce 
6 ounces of cheese
add your favorite pizza toppings!

Once you have the hang of what puffballs are like to cook, there are all kinds of new recipes to create. While puffballs have a lovely flavour they are also amazing sponges for other flavours so play with like you would use tofu or paneer. The key to cooking puffballs like many other mushrooms is how to incorporate fat into the dish, and just like many other mushrooms a spritz of some acid such as lemon and vinegar can do loads to brighten up mushroom recipes that use a large amount of butter.