Of course, you must not eat anything until you are absolutely sure that you know what it is, and never put anything in a common basket until you are equally sure of its identity. Common sense, really. Given my difficulties with mushrooms, I've opted for a nice, generic dish, the risotto, for our lunch. If you happen to collect a particularly good crop of ceps, make the potato and cep cake. If you are not so lucky in your hunt, fake it with dried ceps, like a disappointed angler's surreptitious visit to a fishmonger.
All recipes serve six.
I never know whether I prefer my Parma ham with figs or with melon - I adore both. This is the time when one has to bully at the delicatessen counter. Make sure the ham is cut from the middle and that it is cut wafer-thin. 400g Parma ham 9-12 ripe figs, depending on size, cut into quarters Simply lay out the slices of ham on a big platter, surround them with quartered figs and serve. 100g butter 450g arborio rice 150g Parmesan, freshly grated Prepare the mushrooms by trimming the bases, scraping the stalks and cutting off any bits that are rotting.