Huitlacoche, a fungus peculiar to corn, is one of the delicacies you'll find on the menus at Mexicana Mama and Noche. Considered a blight by American farmers (it's called "corn smut" here) it's prized in Mexico as a seasonal delight. The spores of the fungus grow inside corn kernels, eventually taking over and forming grey-black lobes. They may look unsavory, but they bear the best characteristics of the corn and the fungus--a slightly sweet corn taste tempered by an earthy mushroom flavor reminiscent of nuts. Huitlacoche is available canned and frozen year-round in Mexican groceries and by mail order. If you're lucky enough to find it fresh, don't pass up the opportunity to use it in almost any recipe that calls for mushrooms--or you can take some direction from the pros and give these recipes a whirl.