Test Kitchen: Chanterelles

From the woods to the kitchen

by

My fiancé was midway through his second crostini when he asked me, “So what’s in this again?”

“Just some mushrooms my boss found in the woods!”

He choked.

But Andy hadn’t witnessed the mycological crowdsourcing undertaken by Country Roads publisher James Fox-Smith when he scavenged a bushel of sunset-hued fungi from the Feliciana woods during a morning bike ride. Andy hadn’t read the confirmation among avid Facebook friends that James had indeed struck upon chanterelles (the comments dotted with a few “No, no, they’re poisonous! Let me have them.”)

When not happened upon by cyclists, chanterelles are a hot, therefore expensive, commodity. In my experience, that level of quality calls for a light hand at the stove—cooked down with a little butter, never muffled.

Find below my recipe for a crisp, relaxed summer supper (with a companion of sesame-crusted tuna steak). Then pester James to share his bike route.

Chanterelle and Corn Crostini 
(adapted from a recipe by Chef Paul Virant of Perennial Virant in Chicago)

Yield: 3–4 servings as appetizer or side

Ingredients:

For crostini:

1 demi-baguette, sliced into rounds

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 + 1/2 tbsp. salt

2 tsp. cracked black pepper

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. garlic powder

For topping:

1 ear of corn, shucked

4 oz. cleaned and trimmed chanterelles

2 tbsp. butter

1 shallot, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. fresh thyme

Method:

For the crostini: Preheat oven to 400º F. Spread baguette slices on a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. In a small bowl, mix together seasonings. Sprinkle mix evenly over bread, then bake—rotating the pan halfway through—for 10 minutes.

For the topping:

  1. Slice kernels off ear of corn. Set kernels aside and discard cob. Prepare the chanterelles by tearing gently by hand into bite-sized pieces.
  2. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook, with the occasional stir, for 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in chanterelles. Cook, covered, for another 4 minutes. Then stir in kernels of corn. Cover the pan again and cook for additional 5 minutes.
  4. Uncover the pan and remove from heat. Add fresh thyme, stirring to combine. 
To serve: Spoon chanterelle-and-corn mixture onto crostini, then serve.

Note: Share source of ingredients with guests before they start chewing.