fig. a: late-summer bliss in a bowl
If you live in the Northeast, there’s probably still lots of local corn around. And if you live in the Northeast, and you have access to forests, this is also peak season for chanterelles, especially if you were lucky enough to have a little rain recently.
If you don’t have access to forests, but you do have access to a store that sells fresh, local chanterelles, don’t miss out. Think about it: if you live in the city a) you have to get yourself out to the forest, b) you have to hunt around for the chanterelles yourself, and c) you have to be lucky enough to come across a flush of chanterelles. Unless you have your spots, there’s a lot of chance involved here. Even if you have your spots, who knows, someone might have beaten you to them—it happens. Factor in the price of transportation, and the cost adds up—especially if you come up empty-handed. So if you live in a city like Montreal, and you can easily make your way to Les Jardins Sauvages at Jean-Talon Market to pick up a bunch of pristine, locally harvested chanterelles, don’t balk at the price (do the math!), and don’t miss out. Even enjoying just a handful of chanterelles is a true delicacy, and the season is ever-so-fleeting.
BUT if you have access to the right kind of forest land (say, the Green Mountains of Vermont), and the conditions are right, there’s nothing better than taking a little ramble in the woods. Even if you get stymied when it comes to finding choice, edible mushrooms, you’ll probably see all kinds of other mushrooms, and who knows what else you’ll encounter.
On one such walk, in early August, we came across butterflies,
figs. b & c: unidentified flying creatures
salamanders,
fig. d: commander salamander
two deer (sorry, no photographic evidence—they were too quick for me!), and lots and lots inedible, but rather fantastic mushrooms, including a Witch’s Hat.
figs. e, f, & g: weird and wonderful mushrooms
fig. h: Witch’s Hat!!
And we also found a nice haul of chanterelles, including a somewhat rare white chanterelle.
fig. I: yellow and white gold
fig. j: golden beauties
When we got home, we felt totally rejuvenated.
We also had some very nice souvenirs.
fig. k: nice haul, pt. 1
So, that’s the best-case scenario: a wonderful walk + a successful mushroom-hunting expedition, one where you find a nice quantity of choice, edible mushrooms, like chanterelles.
But, like I said, don’t get hung up on having an optimum mushroom foraging experience, especially if you’re new to the game. It takes a while to know what you’re looking for, and to know where to look for what you’re looking for.
Luckily, Michelle has gotten pretty good at mushroom hunting, so when she led A-Train and I into the woods a couple of weeks ago after there’d finally been some blessed rain, we were feeling pretty confident.
And, sure enough, we soon came across our first flush.
fig. l: first flush
This cluster was fairly small, but they were in very good condition. Within a half an hour, we’d found several other flushes. We were short on time that day, so we had to stick to a schedule, but we were feeling pretty satisfied as we headed back home with our bag of goodies.
fig. m: mushroom hunters
When we laid them out, cleaned them, and took a better look at them, we were even more satisfied.
fig. n: nice haul, pt. 2
The next night, back in Montreal, we made a simple pasta dish with the chanterelles:
egg pappardelle
chanterelles sautéed in butter
fresh minced parsley and chives
crème fraîche
freshly ground black pepper
And a few nights later, still in Montreal, and with my taste for chanterelles still not fully satisfied, we made our way up to Jean-Talon Market to get the ingredients you see in the corn chowder with chanterelles pictured up top. In other words, forage your own chanterelles if you can, but don’t be too proud to turn to the experts if you have to (or if you want to).
Corn Chowder with Chanties
12 ears of corn, shucked and shaved into a large mixing bowl, making sure to collect as much juice from the cob as possible before discarding it (use the back of your knife pressed firmly against the cob to release these juices)
1 sweet onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
6 small potatoes (preferably new)
2 mild or medium-hot peppers, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
chanterelles sautéed in butter (or olive oil) and seasoned with salt
fried bacon or kielbasa (sliced and diced) [optional]
1 dollop of crème fraîche mixed into each bowl just before serving (use 1 tsp - 1 tbsp, depending on the size of your bowls) [optional]
salt & pepper
The method for this chowder is very simple. Sauté your onion in 1 - 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat in a large pot until translucent. Add the celery, carrots potatoes,, and peppers and sauté for 5 minutes, until the celery has softened slightly. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add the corn niblets and all the collected corn juice to the pot. Sauté over medium heat for 5-10 to see how much juice the corn releases. Add just enough water to get the mixture to chowder consistency (i.e., not too thin, thick with ingredients). Bring to a boil and then simmer over low heat (adjusting the seasoning first with salt and pepper) until the carrots and (especially) the potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes to one hour. When the veggies are cooked, take the pot off the heat and let it sit for an hour or two to let the flavours meld, or continue on to next steps.
While the soup is simmering, sauté the chanterelles and season them. This should only take a few minutes.
If using bacon or kielbasa, go ahead and fry it. If you’re using both the bacon/kielbasa and the chanterelles, feel free to fry the meat first, and then sauté the chanterelles in the drippings (with maybe just a little butter or olive oil added).
Ladle the hot chowder into bowls. Stir in a dollop of crème fraîche to each bowl. Top each bowl with chanterelles and bacon/kielbasa, if using. Grind some black pepper over each bowl.
Serve with crusty bread and a green salad.
A dry Riesling wouldn’t be the worst idea either.
Enjoy.
There you have it. Late-summer bliss in a bowl.
The corn chowder alone is simply wonderful. Add the chanties, let them sing, and the chowder gets taken to the astral plane.
aj