Winter chanterelles on toast is as quick to enjoy as it is to make, unadulterated and massively underrated! This dish offers a delightful combination of flavours and textures that can elevate a simple meal to a gourmet experience.
Basic mushrooms on toast, when correctly seasoned and cooked, can be a masterpiece. However, achieving that perfect balance is challenging. Too often, mushrooms on toast become wet and soggy, ruining the crisp, fresh toast and delicate mushrooms, putting off many newcomers to wild mushrooms or mushrooms in general.
This recipe is designed to make winter chanterelles on toast your speciality. People will ask for it every time they see you, and with the bounty of amazing winter mushrooms available at the moment, we would be silly not to take advantage of them to gourmet up your breakfast! The earthy, rich flavours of winter chanterelles, combined with the crunch of perfectly toasted bread, make for an irresistible combination. This dish is not just about taste but also about showcasing the beauty of seasonal ingredients, making it a perfect choice for a cozy winter morning.
We are making Winter Chanterelles on toast in this recipe today. Known not only for their rich flavour but also for their striking aesthetics! Even when cooked these have bright yellows and deep browns that look stunning on a plate!
If you would like to learn more about Winter Chanterelles here is a link to the ID guide on the Totally Wild Learning Hub
Ingredients for Winter Chanterelles On Toast:
- 400 grams of mushrooms ( we are using winter chanterelle but this works store bought too)
1 Tablespoon of butter - ½ Tablespoon of Olive oil.
- 2 cloves of garlic
- A sprig of fresh thyme.
- A little lemon zest.
- ¼ of a lemons’ juice.
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method for Cooking Winter Chanterelles On Toast:
- Place a skillet or heavy-based frying pan on medium heat and add your butter to the pan. Whilst the butter is melting add your olive oil, this will help to stop the butter from getting too hot and burning ( though if you have the time brown butter an mushrooms is a classic)
- Once the butter has fully melted we need to add our garlic. This can be in fine slices or if like me you are lazy, a zest grater is a quick way to get the garlic in! Add half of your fresh thyme and allow the garlic to cook very lightly.
- The winter chanterelles can go in whole here but if you’re using shop shrooms please cut them up to a size you like. I often make thin slices just to minimise cooking time.
- Add them to the garlicky herby butter and at this point I like to bring the heat up just a little.
- Cook them for 3 to 5 mins at this temperature. We want to bring them to the point where the mushrooms have softened but have not yet started swamping the pan with all their liquid but are reabsorbing it, season with salt and pepper.
- Whilst this is happening get some toast in the toaster!
- At this point if you are looking to make this decadent and fortifying for a cold winter day. Add a healthy and generous tablespoon of double cream and allow it a few minutes on the heat, stirring all the time to allow it to coat the mushrooms completely.
- Pile the mushrooms onto your toast, cover them with the remainder of the thyme and eat immediately.
You can find a nice creamy winter chanterelle sauce here if you;d like to do something more elaborate
