“I’ve always considered black truffles overrated,” Ruth Reichl admits in her most recent volume of memoirs, “Garlic and Sapphires.” I couldn’t agree more. They’re inconsistent, usually have no fragrance, cost the earth, and their texture, even when sliced paper-thin with a truffle slicer, is no more pleasant than a wood chip.
The wild mushrooms I like are chanterelles. They’re lovely to look at, as truffles are, but they’re also wonderful to bite into, with a slight elasticity that yields to the teeth. They have a unique fragrance that reminds me of a combination of roasting meat, onion dip, and fresh young carrots.
Chanterelles are at their height in the late summer and early fall. In the summertime their flavor pairs beautifully with a quick saute of local corn or baby carrots (or both). Later in the season they’re good with the cold-weather vegetables and legumes the French cook so well: celery root, salsify, leeks and lentils. They’re also better sauteed using the staples of the French kitchen: butter rather than olive oil, shallots rather than garlic.
The flavor of chanterelles infuses whatever liquid they’re cooked in. So in the fall, I like to use them in a fricassee, a quick saute with the addition of wine, stock and a little butter or cream. The chanterelle fricassee has a nice golden brown, dying leaves color that makes it hard not to think of fall.
Since their fragrance is released when cooked, chanterelles are difficult to judge if the ones you buy will be spectacular or only very good, but dryness is a reliable indicator: Wet chanterelles not only cost more because you pay for “water weight,” but won’t cook properly and release their aroma. I prefer the small, firm Golden Chanterelles, but Yellowfoot Chanterelles with their orange cap and brown stem are also worth using.
John Broening cooks at Duo Restaurant, duodenver.com.
Pappardelle with Fricassee of Chanterelles and Dry Sherry
Believe it or not , the perfect tool for cleaning mushrooms is a (not previously used) toothbrush. Serves 4.
Ingredients
10 ounces chanterelle mushrooms
1 pound egg noodles
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 shallots minced
3/4 cup dry sherry
2 cups chicken broth
2 ounces parmesan
Directions
Brush the mushrooms free of any dirt or pine needles. Scrape the stems with a paring knife.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
Heat a large saute pan until smoking. Add the olive oil, toss in the mushrooms, and add half the butter. Cook until the mushrooms release their water and are lightly colored, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Drop in the pasta, cover and bring back to a boil.
Add the shallots and cook without coloring, about 30 seconds Add the sherry and reduce by 2/3. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half.
When pasta is done, drain and toss into the mushroom fricassee. Add the remaining butter and grate in the cheese. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.
