Chanterelles, A Gold Rush in the Woods

Chanterelles, A Gold Rush in the Woods

Gold Rush, A vien of Chanterelles or 'Kurka!'
 as my Polish friend Tom exclaimed with delight on seeing them.

June is departing and my thoughts are turning to the woods and areas where Chanterelles faithfully return that is unless some other forager has trespassed into the little patches of territory in Dublin’s hinterland that I have staked out in my mind as being mine, and term as my spots, every mushroom hunter does the same. Many good hours spent in my early days trekking through woods and forest off the beaten path in search of veins of the golden morsels makes one feel secretive and protective of their location. After a while in the woods you develop the sense of  knowing whether or not an area has been passed through of late or ever by another forager, if never seems to be the answer, automatically you thinks it's yours and stake it in your mind as such. Of course there are areas where one knows that can’t be claimed and that  ‘the first come first served’ rule applies in your mind. 

Chanterelle. Cantharellus cibarius, Girolles, Pfifferlinge, Kurka.
What to observe. 
Cap. Convex funnelling wavy margin deep yellow. ( tankard/cuplike in mature specimens)
Gills. Forked ridges rather than gills merging into the cap.
Spores. pale yellow / white
Flesh.  yellow into white, tough. 
Stem. Deep yellow short with veins emerging into the cap. 

Smell. Apricot, peppery taste
Habitat. Acid soils mossy river banks coniferous forest and with beech.

Tasting notes.
There's very little Chanterelles don't go with, sautéed on their own and added to scrambled eggs, in cream sauce with Chicken, with a pasta dish or simply served with Turbot,the two meaty textures standing up well together, like I had them one evening in a small restaurant in Baden-Baden , Germany dining with my son Isaac who's now currently on a well deserved post Leaving Inter-rail trip, hopefully he'll capture some good market stall images for future post as he winds his way through Europe.I like the German descriptive name Pfifferlinge, denoting a peppery note to the usual apricot references.

Nb. as with everything cross reference before going picking! beware of confusing with the False Chanterelle Hygrophororopis aurantiaca or in more central and south European areas Omphalotus olearius.

Last season after coming out of woods on that hadn't yielded much, I saw couple of cars just parked behind mine, not unusual for the area,the occupants were still getting themselves together and seemed to be conducting an interview with one of the group,  I naturally viewed them with suspicion, were they hill-walkers, tourist or competition? This is how it went down.

Foraging for wild mushrooms in west Wicklow       DV8 click on link

Cherries and Stove-top Crumble

I was fortunate enough to get to spend time lately here in Dublin with my Uncle John, a sprightly 97yrs and my cousins Mary and Patrick and his wife Maureen on a visit to the Eucharistic Congress, Uncle John had attended the one in 1932  when he was just 18 so it was a big occasion for him to do the double, he wouldn't have the same legs on him as then but his wits are probably sharper and his sense of completion and dedication to his faith were an Inspiration to those that met him.

 Though it was when Uncle John said it was a pity that 'Wee' Eileen couldn't get down for the event I realised through his term of endearment, I had never thought of our Eileen as 'Wee'  in light she's always been big sister that had no option but to multi-task round the house in between her studies, doing the laundry in a twin tub, cooking our dinner, reading a book, keeping an ear on the radio, an eye on the telly and adjudicating some teenage squabble between the rest of us on a typical Saturday during her teenage years,was also was the main shopper in the house and most new food experiences then came from her basket, like the time she bought some cherries in Ballina market and shared them out like treasure, one each with much begging for a second on a holiday way back in the days when we were young and lucky getting to go on a holiday each year, always staying a caravan somewhere, Donegal got a good going over, the East coast was marauded and the West was settled with the obligatory trip to Knock.

 With All in mind, I joined the Pilgrim Walk between 7 churches starting at St Anne's Cathedral, a good idea and a fantastic insight into the life of the city and reflection of it in the churches, the Camino spirit meeting a good few people along the way including a Nun who knew a Nun from home that I wouldn't have known but with my Uncle John nearby the links were made with much excitement, feeling good my passport stamped, the path home from the Pro-Cathedral took me across Capel street,with the fruit sellers and their prams as always loaded with a seasonal fruit, I got lucky! Cherries, Soul Food!

Street Food, Cherries with Almond Crumble and Mascarpone

This crumble recipe is intended for all of those who are busy or in a caravan or who just have a pot and stove to cook on but would like the comfort factor of eating a crumble in the midst of it all.






Cherries with Almond crumble and Mascarpone cream

Recipe for four persons

300gm Cherries, stoned and halved, if you have a cherry stoner well and good, if not cut the cherries in half and remove the stone.

For The Crumble

25gms butter

25gms sugar

14gms, flour,

60gms ground almonds.

 Method

Put the butter and sugar into a small pot, melt over a gentle heat then turn up the heat until the mix bubbles, add the flour, stir with a wooden spoon until it bubbles again add the almonds and stir for a minute or two then remove from the heat and stir vigorously until the mix cools a little and resembles a coarse crumble or sand like texture.

Mascarpone cream

A Simple plate presentation. Eyed up

100gms Mascarpone

100gms double cream

Method

Place both in a bowl and whip until stiff.

Garnish with some mint, I like Lemon verbena with this and a drizzle of Poppy and Rose petal syrup on it [ Take a handful of edible rose petals and a dozen or  so poppy petals, crush them and soak overnight in 100ml of water  next day  boil together with 50gms sugar, strain and leave to

cool]

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