Chanterelle Mushrooms

Chanterelle Mushrooms

According to the Colorado Mycological Society there are 200 varieties of mushrooms growing in our Valley’s high-alpine climate and 800 statewide. In the Aspen area, the most prized edible fungi are Porcini (King Bolete), Chanterelles, Oysters and Morels. Although I have taken mushroom courses and have also foraged for them, my mantra has always been, “When in doubt, throw it out.”

In truth, most mushrooms I gather never cross my lips.

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This week’s French Friday’s recipe, Chanterelles with Napa Cabbage and Nuts, was a perfect menu choice right now. Luckily, I was able to find some thin-stemmed, fan-shaped golden beauties.

Mise en Place

Mise en Place

Napa Cabbage - You will notice later that I suggest using three times the amount Dorie specified in her recipe.

Napa Cabbage – You will notice later that I used three times the amount Dorie specified in her recipe.

First, however, let me introduce you to this nine-pound, nine-inch Western Giant Puffball.

Western Giant Puffball - an enormous nine-pound mushroom

Western Giant Puffball – an enormous mushroom

My friend, Donna Chase, called me last week with the exciting news that she had acquired a huge puffball. “When I was at the grocery store,” she said, “this guy had found it and asked if I wanted it.”

“Did you know him?” I wondered.

“Well, no,” she answered. “And, it smells. Steve [her husband] told me not to bring it in the house.”

“Where is it?” I asked.

“In the house,” she replied.

“If I can’t find chanterelles,” I told her, “I can always make Puffball with Napa Cabbage and Nuts.”

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The next morning, another friend and I showed up at Chases for a puffball viewing. I was given the honor of slicing it open. If the interior was white, it’s considered edible. If it’s green-brown with a putrid odor, I’d be forced to continue hunting for chanterelles. These photos provide the verdict.

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I eventually did find chanterelles at my grocery-of-last-resort, The Butcher Block. The Block is a great meat/gourmet market but très cher. The mushrooms cost, Gulp! Gulp!, $39.50 a pound. I was hosting a luncheon meeting during the week so this dish would be a unique appetizer. Very appropriate, in fact, since my luncheon colleagues were both terrific cooks and local Naturalists. They know their mushrooms. A bad one in the basket? They’d spot it.

Marcia Johnson, Executive Director of the Forest Conservancy, trims stems off the chanterelles.

Marcia Johnson, Executive Director of the Forest Conservancy, trims stems off the chanterelles.

On Wednesday, the three of us hunkered down around the cookbook and read the recipe carefully. Since this is a last minute, quickly concocted dish, we divided the chores: slicing, dicing, shredding. It is exactly nine minutes from the moment EVOO warms in the pan to when the mixture is plated. All hands on deck for the dash to the table.

My friend and fellow chef, Donna Grauer, minces the shallot.

My friend and fellow chef, Donna Grauer, minces the shallot.

The Accolades: “Earthy. Rocky Mountain Foie Gras. Sublime. Rich. A Little Dab Will Do Ya.”

Shallots and chanterelles, nicely coated with olive oil and on the fire.

Shallots and chanterelles, nicely coated with olive oil and on the fire.

Chanterelles with Napa Cabbage & Nuts is a stand-up/clap-your-hands appetizer. Donna’s warm baguette with herb butter was perfect for sopping up the juices. Dorie suggests serving this also as a side to a meat dish or with an herb salad for lunch. To my mind, this very special chanterelle mixture should bask in its own spotlight, sharing the stage with no one.

The complete recipe is here. My additional tips are:

1. I would add 1 cup of shredded Napa cabbage instead of the 1/3 cup suggested by Dorie.
2. Since the chanterelle blend is very rich, a 1/2 to 3/4 cup serving is sufficient.
3. Have all your preparations completed and ingredients ready before pouring your first tablespoon of oil into the skillet.

Enjoy.

Whoops! No photographs of the plated chanterelles - don't they both look smug?

Whoops! No photographs of the plated chanterelles – don’t they both look smug?

Read about my colleagues’ foraging skills on our French Fridays link right here. As I mention each week, we are an international cooking group having a wonderful time working our way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table.