chanterelles

I cannot abide button mushrooms. Revolting things. I have been known to spend many minutes picking them out of otherwise perfectly reasonable food. Disgusting.

And so it is that some of my friends joke (justifiably so) about how my food snobbery kicks in and I, therefore, CAN abide expensive mushrooms. Morels? Delightful. Truffles? Certainly. Chanterelles? Ah, chanterelles.

Ever had them? Gorgeous scent to them, like apricots. No, I'm not joking. Conrad couldn't smell it tonight, but oh, I could, very much.

Earlier this week, my lovely and wonderful friend CG invited me to dinner at her place. We had intended to see a movie, too, but, ah well. Life happens, and it was too fine an evening to spoil by going to sit in a cinema. Instead, I had a fine dinner of roast pork, crisp green beans, and fresh chanterelles that she had brought back from her family's property in Indiana. Even better, she had some for me to take home.

So we ate a fine dinner in the kitchen, washed down with a modest Chilean Pinot Noir I'd brought round, and then we headed up to the roof deck to chat more, sip more, sip more. It was a very fine evening, no two ways about it.

And that left me with a bag of fresh, fragrant chanterelles to work with - and quickly!

Conrad's travel forced us to cancel plans to head up to the UP, and while I was very sorry to miss his nephew's races, I was also a little relieved for a weekend off. I hope we can make up for it with a fall trip up there when the colours are at their peak. But for tonight, it was our first dinner together in almost a week, and I think I treated Conrad well: Pinot Noir (his favourite), some olives (in some very good and boozy martinis), cheese (to go with the olives), raspberries and chocolate for dessert, and salmon (hitting all his favourites tonight). The salmon - coho, BTW - was simply seasoned and seared. I set it alongside a smattering of lettuces dressed with a bit of lime-infused olive oil and salt and pepper and atop a pile of chanterelles - sauteed, like CG had done, with leeks and lots of butter and some sherry.

Gotta say, it was good. A very warm night, so we ate out on the balcony. And definitely, we toasted CG for her terrific gift of mushrooms this week.