Every year, around this time, I am on the lookout for chanterelle mushrooms. They come and go so quickly that they are easy to miss. They are a rare indulgence for the mushroom lovers in my family.

A couple of things came together this year in our acquisition and preparation of these mushrooms. The first thing was a trip on Thanksgiving day to Whole Foods for ingredients for dinner prep. While browsing for brussel sprouts, I spotted these elusive mushrooms and promptly added some to my cart. Secondly, maybe due to my surprise at finding the chanterelles, I left out a few key items from my shopping list. This precipitated another trip to our nearby local market. Here again, upon spotting fresh thyme, I strayed from my list, because I thought they would go well with these mushrooms.

A couple of interesting facts from their wikipedia page:

They are great sources of vitamin c and potassium and are very rich in vitamin d.

Their flavorful compounds are fat soluble so they lend well to sautéeing.

In 1836, they were declared by a mycologist (a scientist who studies fungi) as “one of the most important and best edible mushrooms.” My family heartily agrees with this.

Given their rarity in the stores in my area (and their extreme expense) we cook them the day we buy them in a very simple manner in order to best bring out their special flavor.

Print Chanterelle Sauté Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Yield: Serves 2-3 Ingredients 1 pound of fresh chanterelle mushrooms, coarsely chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil 5 garlic cloves 1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme salt to taste Method Heat the olive oil. Add the garlic cloves and chanterelles. Sauté for about 10 minutes until cooked well. Season with the red chili flakes and thyme. Salt to taste. Notes Goes well over toasted baguettes slices. 3.1 http://globalveg.com/2014/11/30/chanterelle-saute/ Copyright: Global Veg