The fly agaric, with its distinctive, speckled red cap, might be one of the most easily recognisable and famous funghi around. Rather than eating an actual specimen and poisoning yourself in the process, making your own with tomato and devilled egg is a safe and tasty way to bring their fairytale charm to the table.

While I can’t claim credit for the idea, I feel like this retro party treat deserves a revival. These little “mushrooms” are tasty, fun to make, and just look at how cute they look!

Ingredients:

eggs

tomatoes

mayonnaise in a tube

spicy mustard

chilli powder

salt

ground paprika

lemon juice or vinegar

• Add as many eggs as you want “mushrooms” to a pan with warm water and bring them to a boil.
• Once the water boils, time 8 minutes.
• Drain the eggs and immediately rinse them with very cold water.
• Leave them to cool a little and peel them.
• Now it’s time to make the stem of the mushroom: cut off a slice from the top of the egg. It should be able to stand up on its own now.
• Now slice off a slice from the bottom of the egg and scoop out the yolk into a mixing bowl.
• Make the egg stuffing by mashing the yolks with a fork and mixing them to taste with the mustard, spices, salt, a drop of vinegar or lemon juice and a bit of mayonnaise. Try to keep the mixture quite firm, as this will make the “stems” firmer and act as a better glue for the tomato caps.

Assembly time:

• Using two teaspoons, carefully put the stuffing into the stems.
• To make the mushroom cap, slice off the bottom half from a tomato.
• Carefully place the “mushroom stems”, with the stuffed side up, on a serving board or plate.
• Now place the tomato caps on top. If they’re too heavy, the egg might topple and you’ll have to cut the caps a bit smaller.
• For the final flourish, use mayonnaise to make little white dots, and there you have it: edible fly agaric mushrooms!