Creamy Chanterelle Mushrooms

It’s chanterelle season here. I’ve missed some of it because I’ve been out of state for nearly a month, but chanterelles grow over a longer period than most wild mushrooms. I’ve found them as early as May and as late as early September. It’s definitely worth a trip to the woods after any big summer rain to see if a new flush of chants has popped up.

Chanterelles pop up from late spring through fall in much of the country. Images by author.

This simple recipe can serve dual purpose in the kitchen. It’s great as a side dish just on its own. But you can thin it a bit and use it as a sauce over grilled or fried meats, or as a gravy over bread or potatoes. Any way you eat it, it’s good stuff.

Side, sauce or gravy, this recipe works as all three. Images by author.

Chanterelles are an easy mushroom to identify. They are most often golden yellow, sometimes orange or red, and they have a distinctive trumpet shape. They have ridges on the underside instead of true gills. They also give off a fruity, almost apricot like smell. The flesh will be white or pale yellow and the interior of the mushroom will be solid, not hollow. They can grow in singles or small clusters and emerge from the forest floor, not from living or dead trees.

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As with all wild mushrooms, its best to go with an experienced forager the first few times to learn to identify any edible wild mushroom. If you don’t know an experienced forager, get at least two good mushroom identification books for your area and cross reference your finds with both sources. There are some mushrooms out there that can make you brutally sick. And some that will kill you. Don’t mess around. Make sure you have the right mushroom before you cook and eat it.

The majority of my chanterelle recipes start out the same way. Mushrooms in a dry skillet. No butter, no oil, just mushrooms over medium heat. After they start to cook, moisture will begin to escape. At this point, give them a light sprinkle of salt. After that, you can add a bit of butter or oil.

Start your chanterelles in a dry skillet or with just a bit of water and gently saute until they have released most of their moisture, then add butter.

While the mushrooms saute and release the trapped water they hold inside, gather your remaining ingredients.

Gather your ingredients while the mushrooms start to cook.

Once the mushrooms have stopped releasing moisture and have started to soften, now add the butter. Stir the mushrooms and continue cooking until they are soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Pour in the cream and add the thyme and oregano.

Add the garlic and the cream as the mushrooms simmer.

Sprinkle over the cheese and stir well to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the cheese and stir to bring the sauce together.

If you wish to serve this as a side dish, continue cooking until it thickens. If you would like it a bit thinner, remove the pan from the heat after you add the cheese so that the cooking process stops. If it is still a touch thick for a sauce or gravy, add a bit more cream until it reaches the consistency you’re after.

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