Categories: Condiments, Vegetables 
      Yield: 1 batch 
  
      1 oz Boletus mushrooms, dried* 
      6 c  Very warm water 
      2 md Shallots, peeled & chopped 
      6 ea Peppercorns 
      1 ea Blade whole mace -=OR=- 
      1 pn Ground mace 
    1/2 sm Bay leaf 
  
  *One oz. = 2/3 cup.  Suggested mushrooms are cepes, porcini, 
  Steinpilze or boletes marketed as "Chilean dried mushrooms." 
  Combine mushrooms in a bowl with 4 cups very warm water.  Push them 
  under the surface, weight them with a saucer, and let them soak 
  overnight or for at least 6 hours, until they are very soft.  Stir 
  them occasionally. 
  Lift mushrooms from the liquid with a slotted spoon (save the liquid) 
  and chop them fine, saving as much juice as possible.  Combine them 
  with the remaining 2 cups water in a saucepan, bring them to a 
  simmer, and simmer them, covered, for 20 minutes. 
  Meanwhile, to clear the soaking liquid of grit, pour it carefully 
  into a bowl, leaving behind the sediment - this is certain to be 
  sandy. Let the liquid settle again and again pour it off; repeat, if 
  necessary, to be sure any grit has been left behind. 
  Pour the simmered mushrooms and their liquid into a sieve set over a 
  bowl and lined with fine nylon net or two layers of dampened 
  cheesecloth. Press hard on the mushrooms to extract all possible 
  liquid; discard the debris. Let this second batch of liquid settle, 
  then decant it as described for the soaking liquid; repeat if 
  necessary. 
  Combine the two batches of liquid with the shallots, peppercorns, 
  mace and bay leaf in a saucepan.  Bring the liquid to a boil over 
  medium-high heat and simmer it briskly, uncovered, until it has 
  reduced to 2 cups. 
  Strain out the solids and let the concentrated liquid settle for one 
  last time - we're still on the track of any sand that may remain. 
  Decant the cooled essence, then freeze it in an ice-cube tray. Remove 
  the cubes from the tray and store them in an airtight freezer 
  container. Keeps for up to a year in the freezer. 
  Yield: 16 cubes, about 2 tb. each.