Having been endowed with a welcome flurry of foodie books from my generous family including Collins Mushroom Miscellany, I can tell you that Jew’s ear was originally known as Judas’ Ear. He apparently hung himself on an elder tree and it is mostly elder these edible lobes like to grow on. Their delicate softness would be more fitting for pixies in my imagination…the lesser pointy eared type.
The specimen I’m holding has since been dried - into a much reduced and darkened form of its original velvety fleshiness - and ground in our coffee grinder before adding some depth to a chicken casserole. That wasn’t the most sensible move on my part as I can’t say I could identify the flavour but we’ve found more growing in the garden so there’ll be a next time for that.