American Caesar mushrooms in backyard!!

[Wildman]

Found them growing in my backyard today in Benton Louisiana. Looking for recipes.

[Dave W]

To be certain these represent a species of genus Amanita section Caesareae, it would be good to see a white saccate basal volva and prominent partial veil. In the case of A. jacksonii --the "official" American Caesar's Amanita-- the annulus should be yellow/orange. There are a few different species of Amanita section Caesareae found in SE NA that produce reddish-capped mushrooms. One of the keys to recognizing A. jacksonii is the presence of orangish patches on the surface of the stipe, which appears to be the case with the ones seen here. None of the red/orange/yellow American species of section Caesareae are known to be toxic. But, caution is advised nonetheless. 

I've eaten A. jacksonii only a couple times. I considered it to be good, although I didn't use it in a recipe. I just sauteed a couple  and ate them to see what it was like. People say it's not as good as the European A. caesarea, and that young versions are best. I have been told that in Italy the true A. caesarea is consumed raw as an ingredient in salad. I haven't heard of anyone using A. jacksonii like this. 

[Tasso]

                                                                            Italian raw Amanita caesarea salad with arugula and shaved parmigiano.