Food and Leisure

The golden chanterelle

FOOD FOR THOUGHT - Millie and Karla Reyes - The Philippine Star

July 26, 2012 | 12:00am

MILLIE: It’s chanterelle season, time to celebrate! I’ve always been fond of mushrooms and one of my favorites is the chanterelle. It is a wild mushroom that is bright orange or yellow in color and funnel-shaped with wavy edges. It is my favorite along with morels, and not as expensive. Actually, it can be found in the same habitat as morels, on the ground, in the grass, growing in groups. It never grows on wood or trees and is not poisonous.

Chanterelles are tough and need long hours to cook over a low fire.

I love it atop a nice piece of steak or as a thick and creamy chanterelle mushroom soup. This mushroom has a fruity fragrance similar to apricot and can be served with a nice mixed salad with chicken breast slices in an apricot vinaigrette dressing. Refreshing!

Chanterelles are becoming popular in the USA and are a great favorite of European chefs. Chef Marc Aubry, our favorite French chef in Manila who now owns Champêtre at the Net One building in Bonifacio Global City, offered this seasonal delight as a special feature and Karla and I were lucky to have walked in that evening.

Crostinis topped with chanterelle mushrooms flavored with garlic and herbs

KARLA: At Champêtre, Mom and I shared the roasted veal chops with chanterelle, cepe and smoked bacon sauce with stewed eggplant and carrots on the side. It was so good we could have ordered a second plate! We also ordered the creamy cepe and Parmesan risotto with grilled prawns and scallops and it was outrageously delicious! We topped this up with our favorite soufflés, which aren’t on the menu but they made it for us anyway. Mom had the Grand Marnier soufflé while I had plain old chocolate. Dinner was so good we could have come back the next day and would have ordered exactly the same thing.

Around this time last year, we also walked into a chanterelle festival at Chesa Bianca on Yakal St. We wanted to feature it but they said that there was no more stock and that the festival had ended. Now they have the festival at Carpaccio Ristorante Italiano. We had the Crostini di Cantarelli, chanterelle mushrooms in a light herb cream sauce flavored with garlic and herbs served on toasted ciabatta bread. We also ordered Gnocchi al Cantarelli, which is potato gnocchi served with chanterelle mushroom in s mascarpone cream sauce topped with tomato sugo, Italian parsley and grated Parmesan cheese. Plus extra Parmesan cheese for us, please.

Chanterelle mushrooms are great accompaniments to meat and eggs. They are perfect for soups, sauces, pastas and rice as well. When buying fresh chanterelles, look for the ones with spongy, firm and fleshy caps. Make sure that you wash them well under running water, drain well and dry. It takes around three to five minutes to sauté or broil, 15 to 20 minutes to quick-braise and 10 to 15 minutes to bake. Although fresh chanterelles only last for a week in the refrigerator, they can go as long as one year in the freezer.

Fabulous: Champetre’s Parmesan risotto with creamy chanterelles and cepes with grilled prawns and scallops

MILLIE: Chef Aubry says the chanterelle mushroom promo is only good until supply lasts. I hope we find time this week to go back and try other chanterelle-inspired dishes such as the sautéed chanterelles and duck foie gras terrine with puff pastry and creamed jus, and grilled lamb tenderloin with sautéed cepe and chanterelles.

* * *

Champêtre is located at the G/F Net One Center Building, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Call 815-8801 to 02 for inquiries and reservations.

Carpaccio Ristorante Italiano is located at 7431 Yakal St., San Antonio Village, Makati. For reservations, call 867-3164.

* * *

Send e-mail to milliereyes.foodforthought@gmail.com and karla@swizzlemobilebar.com. Find us on Facebook and read articles you might have missed: Food for Thought by Millie & Karla Reyes.