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Tag: mushrooms

Coming across these in the wild is nirvana.

Chanterelles Are Nothing Short of Divine

October 29, 2018 / / 0 Comments

A sight that makes me smile. (Photo by The Brockhaus)

I came across this box of chanterelles last week while picking up some collard greens, and could not envision doing anything other than buying the mushrooms and sautéing them  that evening. They were plump and fresh and beautiful.

I like simplicity when it comes to chanterelles, and these I gently rubbed clean with a paper towel and set on the counter for an hour or two, so they would dry as much as possible. I cut the larger ones into smaller pieces, and then put a bit of butter and olive oil in a pan and turned the heat on medium-high. Into the pan (once the butter was melted) went two cloves of diced garlic, and, a few minutes later, the chanterelles.

Cleaned and sorted with care. (Photo by The Brockhaus)

The aroma was stunning, and I swirled the mushrooms around the pan, making sure to coat them with the oil and butter. They absorbed all of the liquid after 5 minutes or so, a process that I love, and then, as if by magic, gradually, the oil and butter — along with the mushrooms’ own juices — began to emerge. It is a moving sight.

I seasoned the chanterelles with salt and pepper, garnished with some parsley, and relished a dish of perfection.

Chanterelles: A bowl of one of my favorite foods. (Photo by The Brockhaus)

A hostess can eat her dessert in any manner that suits her.

Dining and Cooking in New Delhi With Friends, and Foie Gras and Mushrooms

September 20, 2014 / / 0 Comments
A mixture of fresh and dried mushrooms in a New Deli kitchen.

A mixture of fresh and dried mushrooms in a New Delhi kitchen.

Sean and I descended on the market armed with a mental menu and an abundance of rupee. We walked past the hardware vendors and the mobile phone stalls and entered the vegetable and meat areas, looking for mushrooms and onions, and we found some, and corn, and we had duck breast and some beef tenderloin. We were assembling ingredients for a dinner that evening and we had everything we needed.

Sean and Surya – our hosts – a friend of theirs whose name escapes me (David?), and Angela and I would be at the table. Sean and I transported our goods back to their apartment and started prepping in the kitchen, assisted by Angela and Surya. I took care of the mushroom bisque, using both fresh and dried mushrooms. I base my method on a Thomas Keller method (which you can read about here), and it is among my favorite things to make. On top of the bisque I placed a few pomegranate seeds, which Sean patiently procured.

Sean has his way with a pomegranate.

Sean has his way with a pomegranate.

A small glass of richness.

A small glass of richness.

A table graced with good lighting.

A table graced with good lighting.

A man and his knife.

Sean had some foie in a tin that a friend had left him, and he took care of that. (I had envisioned an amuse of seared foie gras with strawberries and a balsamic and Madeira reduction, and that is what we made.)

An appropriately rich beginning.

An appropriately rich beginning.

Sean and Surya’s kitchen is large, and has much light, which streams in from tall windows on the space’s rear wall. I liked cooking in that kitchen. We seared duck breast, and made a spicy corn and tomato “salsa” for the tenderloin. Sean grilled the beef to perfection.

Corn, tomato, and chili.

Corn, tomato, and chili.

Beef and arugula are always good company.

Beef and arugula are always good company.

Dessert was molten chocolate, ice cream, and strawberries. Surya enjoyed hers with relish.

Chocolate, strawberry, and ice cream closed the meal.

Chocolate, strawberry, and ice cream closed the meal.

A hostess can eat her dessert in any manner that suits her.

A hostess can eat her dessert in any manner that suits her.

Those days spent in Delhi in April of 2013 were good ones. The four of us shared other tables, most notably one at Indian Accent (about which more later). But no meal was more enjoyable than the one on that evening, when all was perfect and lively and warm.

Surya and Angela on the way to another table in New Delhi.

Surya and Angela on the way to another table in New Delhi.

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