Living in the Pacific Northwest is exactly where you want to be if you're a mushroom lover. If you shop at the right places, you can be handsomely rewarded with stellar product such as these. In this case, I managed to find some amazing American Matsutake #1 mushrooms. They're one of the most sought after mushrooms and not very easy to come by. They grow hidden in the forest detritus during their short season which is usually between September to November. They are sorted into 7 'grades' based on their age and appearance. The #1's are the most sought after. That means that they have a tight cap that has not opened up to reveal their gills. After the cap separates, they are categorized into the remaining 2-7 grades. They have a very strong smell to them, especially when you begin to clean them. It's unmistakeable. Cleaning them can be a pain (although nothing beats dirty Chanterelles in my book), so be prepared to sit down and spend some time with a damp cloth rubbing them senseless. I peeled the stems and trimmed the small woody part off of the bottom. After that, they're ready to go. For this recipe I didn't want them to get lost in a sauce, so I gently sautéed them on their own and topped the dish with them. The rest of the group consisted of Violet Chanterelles (pig's ear mushrooms), White Beech, King Oyster, Velvet Piopparello, Brown Pioppini and Crimini mushrooms.