Hunting season: what do they cook in restaurants with the first chanterelles?
The chanterelle season started earlier than usual this year, so they began to appear on the menu of gastronomic projects in mid-June. However, the rich harvest of these mushrooms has so far been observed mainly in the European part of Russia, and all thanks to the unusually cool weather in early summer. Izvestia found out why chanterelles occupy a special place in the culinary preferences of Russians, what fine cuisine masters cook with them, and which other mushrooms are commonly used in restaurant dishes in the summer.
Why do guests come to chanterelles and what chefs cook with them?
Seasonal wild mushrooms occupy a very important place in the Russian gastronomic tradition, but this can be seen especially clearly in the middle of summer, when the first chanterelles appear on sale. Restaurateurs try to reflect these preferences in special menus, offering guests sought-after products at the peak of freshness and in an original presentation.
"The advantages of chanterelles are their special aroma and taste, unlike other mushrooms, with a slight bitterness, as well as their dense but pleasant consistency,— Fyodor Verin, brand chef of the Central House of Artists restaurant (Moscow), told Izvestia. — Porcini mushrooms and honey mushrooms are disliked by many for their slippery part, and chanterelles are a delicious, reliable, inexpensive and native product, especially popular in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Not everyone has time to follow them into the woods, and the habit of trying something with chanterelles at least a couple of times in the summer has remained with many since childhood.
Veal with gratin, spinach and chanterelles
Our interlocutor also noted that small mushrooms, up to 1.5 cm in size and with a rounded closed cap, look especially beautiful in their finished form. These are the ones he uses as the main summer bundle in a dish consisting of finely chopped and lightly grilled veal with a classic gratin responsible for the cheesy and creamy taste.
"Chanterelles are an absolutely typical product for the Baltic region," explained Alexander Korobkov, chef of Steindam 99 (Kaliningrad). — These mushrooms do not just grow in our region, but are inscribed in the gastronomic memory of local residents: they are used to make gravy, fried with potatoes, added to soups and salted for the winter. We especially love them for their texture and nutty-woody taste.
Beef cheek with root vegetables and chanterelles
According to the expert, chanterelles are not a delicacy for Kaliningrad residents, but a natural element of the Baltic ecosystem, so in his project he seeks to reveal them not as "foam" or "powder", but in the most vivid, real form, observing the exact balance of tastes. So, for one of the seasonal dishes, chanterelles are fried in ghee with slightly smoked salt and accompanied by baked new potatoes with peel and garlic arrows, adding a sharp, fresh crunch. And in a position with stewed beef cheek with a sauce based on red wine and chanterelle roots, they give the dish a forest flavor and a slight bitterness.
—Mushrooms and Tatar cuisine were initially very far from each other, but in recent decades everything has changed," says Rustam Rakhimov, brand chef of the Umai restaurant (Kazan). — For example, today you can find the traditional pastry kystybyi with a filling of potatoes and mushrooms. It's chanterelle season, and in our region they are harvested from forests along the Volga and Kama rivers. These are my second favorite mushrooms after morels.
Kizdyrma of duck hearts with chanterelles
Recently, duck hearts with chanterelles appeared on the menu at Umay. Both products are fried together with chopped garlic and evaporated duck broth, and then tightened to a stew texture. When serving, a potato layer is added, and onion espuma is used as a sauce. It turns out to be a traditional meal, but in a modern interpretation, where the sweet taste of the hearts meets the pleasant woody aroma of mushrooms. Brand chef Rakhimov makes caviar from seasonal mushrooms, and adds white ones to horse meat, since both of these ingredients are perfectly combined.
What foods are best combined with chanterelles and how should they be cooked?
Chanterelles are quite versatile mushrooms, they can be added to an appetizer, side dish or to the main dish. In the most familiar combination for most, these mushrooms are fried with potatoes.
— The simplest thing I do at home: I toast a piece of bread in butter, spread cheese, spread fried chanterelles, add some fresh finely chopped onions, and now I get the perfect breakfast, — says Igor Vasiliev, chef of the Nordic restaurant (St. Petersburg). — Chanterelles are also good friends with game, so we often serve them with venison, and this is always a strong combination.
Vichyoise with chanterelles and mussels
The chef always chooses small chanterelles not only for their neat appearance, but also because they have a denser and fleshier cap, a soft stem and they are almost never bitter. At Nordic, you can try premium beef tartare with mustard, Worcestershire and soy sauces, capers, shallots, crispy potato croquettes and juniper mayonnaise with these mushrooms.
Another seasonal dish is skagen, a toast made from bread on Danish sourdough with strachatella, fried chanterelles with chives and shallots, complemented with pike caviar. Chef Vasiliev advises washing mushrooms without soaking and then letting them dry properly, as excess moisture prevents proper frying. It should take no more than a minute and a half to heat it in a hot frying pan, so you need to prepare the oil and spices in advance. Chanterelles should quickly absorb their taste, but at the same time remain elastic and not leak.
— There are a huge number of chanterelles, but in gastronomy the usual orange or black ones that grow in the Sochi mountains are used, — said Alexander Volkov-Medvedev, brand chef of Ruski restaurant (Moscow). — They have a very delicate taste, and unlike other wild mushrooms, they go well with the same delicate products, such as scallops or red shrimp. This trick won't work with porcini mushrooms or horseradish.
Scallop with chanterelles and green peas
Among the seasonal dishes at Ruski there is a rather unusual position — creme brulee with chanterelles. In fact, it is a delicate cream that is baked in a plate and covered with fried chanterelles and another mushroom cream when served.
— The bright orange color of chanterelles makes dishes with them visually attractive. The main thing is to add fresh herbs to them, but not much, otherwise it can kill the mushroom taste," says Leonid Konobritsky, chef of Le Pigeon restaurant (Moscow).
Chanterelle creme brulee with hazelnuts
Chanterelles have a pronounced and slightly spicy taste, which makes the dish more complex and layered. As an example, the chef cites a new item from the Le Pigeon menu, in which veal liver with a slightly sweet taste perfectly harmonizes with the earthy aroma of mushrooms.
— Chanterelles are very fragrant and textured, and in season there is nothing better than using a fresh, juicy product, — says the chef of the restaurant "19" Alexander Nikolaenko (Nizhny Novgorod). — We use them in a mix with porcini mushrooms, horseradish and morels. We cook beef roll with them, goose breast with buckwheat porridge, wild walleye with oats and baked beetroot.
Goose breast with buckwheat porridge and wild mushrooms
For those who plan to store chanterelles in the refrigerator for several days, the expert advises not to wash them in advance. It is worth processing only the amount that is planned to be prepared.
What other mushrooms do chefs work with in the summer
Buttercups and blueberries will appear in the forests after chanterelles, and closer to August it will be time for porcini mushrooms. All these products are widely used by chefs, both fresh and in the form of blanks: they are used to prepare broths, salt pans and sometimes even cream soups. For pickling, black mushrooms, bagels and buttermilk are usually taken.
— The Siberians still have porcini mushrooms in the first place. — recognized chef of 0.75 Please restaurant (Krasnoyarsk) Mark Dmitriev. — They are perfectly revealed in soups, hot dishes, salads, and, most interestingly, even in desserts. By autumn, mushrooms and podtopolniki will be available — we use them more often already in pickled or salted form and prepare them in season, then add them to cold appetizers, dumplings or author's dishes with a local accent.
Smorrebrod on cereal bread with ginger
Our interlocutor noted the redheads separately. These mushrooms have a subtle, almost nutty taste, dense texture and rich orange color, which in itself already gives the dish expressiveness. In 0.75 Please, they are used in the author's version of sour cream: mashed potatoes with dill and butter, truffle mayonnaise, pickled ginger and pickled red onion are spread on cereal bread. The whole composition creates a rich, layered taste, from earthy and creamy notes to the slight sourness of the marinade and the piquancy of the truffle. The redheads here are not just an accent, they set the tone for the whole dish, giving it a "forest" depth and character.
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