Ingredient of the Month: Chanterelles

Chanterelles. I've never eaten one before this.  It was one of those things I read on menus of restaurants that I could not afford.  I only heard of it on TV as being an amazing mushroom.  And I would have to say it is quite scrumptious!

Ooooh, Chanterelles! [Although I wish they were nicer, my bad!]

As I mentioned in my last post about the farmer's market, I got really excited when I bought these.  BUT, they are expensive so I just bought a quarter pound for myself to taste.  I was a bit concerned with the fact that they had a dark brown color along the edges but the guy said I could just trim that off.  And now I know for next time to pick them out myself...You live and you learn

Sauteing them!

A quarter of a pound was about 3 mushrooms.  I've used two so far.  I don't know what to do with the last one.
Slight detour from this food adventure...just a slight one...
A great friend of mine got me a book called "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee.  It's amazing!  I quickly looked up cooking techniques for mushrooms.
Here's an excerpt: "Their [mushrooms] flavor is generally most developed and intense when they are cooked slowly with dry heat to allow enzymes some time to work before being inactivated, and to cook out some of their abundant water and concentrate the amino acids, sugars, and aromas. Heat also collapses air pockets and consolidates the texture."
And there's a ton of other science-y information. YES! My degree in biology is paying off!

Chanterelles and Pasta.

The very first chanterelle, I sauteed with a bit of garlic and a tiny pinch of salt.  I did it over medium low heat for a good 4-5 minutes (or at least it felt that long).  They slowly began smelling like caramel or brown sugar.  Sweet! That meant the water was evaporating and the sugars were concentrating, right?...right? I ate a piece.  It has this mellow earthy, rich flavor, not overpowering, and this great meat-y texture. Delish!

I prepared the second chanterelle just like the first but had it with pasta and cream sauce.  I added a bit of gouda cheese to the bechamel, just a light flavor.  I didn't want to overpower the lovely chanterelles.

I'll figure out what to do with the last one! :D

Up Next: Pineapple-Dried Apricot Cupcakes!