Vegan Chanterelle Recipes to Delight your Tastebuds (2024)

FAQs

What flavors go with chanterelles? ›

Their firm texture and strong earthiness go well with herbs like sage, rosemary, tarragon, and thyme. They are good in stews with rich stocks and go very well with roasted corn and with mild, creamy goat cheese.

Chanterelles have forked ridges (not true gills) that are light in color and kind of rubbery to the touch. False Chanterelles have forked orange gills that can be separated (they move when stroked and are deeper than those of true Chanterelles).

Unfortunately, they are a few non-edible mushrooms that are commonly mistaken for chanterelles. These include the jack o'lanterns and the false chanterelle. Although neither of these mushrooms are fatal, neither are good for eating.

A golden buttery yellow, chanterelle mushrooms are the most common edible wild mushroom around the globe. They have a very unique flavour compared to other mushrooms. Chanterelles are slightly fruity and can even have a hint of apricot or peach flavour, without the sweetness, of course.

The ideal season for foraging chanterelles is from late spring to early autumn, depending on the region's climate. They flourish best after rainfall when the ground is moist and the temperatures are mild. While searching for chanterelles, it's essential to be cautious and ensure that you're picking the right mushroom.

Chanterelles have no known toxins but a few cases of gastrointestinal upset or allergy-like skin reactions have been reported. As with any new mushroom, we advise eating just a little at first and waiting 24 hours to see how your body feels before diving into a full meal.

How do you know that you're in possession of Rainbow Chanterelles, rather than another gold-toned chanterelle? According to the literature, Rainbows are distinguished by bright orange veins or false gills. Their caps are a duller color than the Pacific Goldens and often exhibit a pinkish bloom near the edge.

Edibility. The false chanterelle is considered poisonous, and may cause serious digestive problems. Among other toxins, it contains high levels of the sugar alcohol arabitol. The mushroom was sometimes described as edible (though not tasty) until 1999.

The main reason for chanterelles' $224-per-pound price is that they're infamously difficult to cultivate. They mostly grow in the wild, meaning they must be foraged, and they require a period of heavy rainfall in a coniferous forest, followed by several days of continuous heat and high humidity.

Incidentally, experts recommend eating no more than about 250 grams of chanterelles per week for another reason. Chanterelles contain polysaccharide, a difficult-to-digest carbohydrate which can irritate sensitive stomachs and intestines.

Is it OK to eat chanterelles raw? ›

Though not as common as some other mushroom varieties, dried and fresh chanterelle mushrooms can likely be found at many specialty stores, online retailers, and farmers' markets in your area. You can enjoy them raw or cooked, though most people prefer the flavor and texture of cooked chanterelle mushrooms.

So how to tell chanterelle and false chanterelle apart? The main distinguishing factors are their shape, color, and the fact that false chanterelles have true gills, while chanterelles have folds.

Chanterelles are highly prized for their flavor, which is often described as a mix of fruity, nutty, and peppery notes with a mild and delicate aroma. They have a meaty texture that can hold up well in cooking.

However, there are also many other mushrooms that are similar to the true Chanterelle these include the Meadow Waxcap and Jack 'o Lanterns, one being a very edible mushroom, the other not so.

Like all species in the genus Cantharellus, C. lateritius is edible, and often considered choice. The odor resembles apricots, and the taste is mild, or "moderately to faintly acrid".

They're prized for their delicate flavor. Both the stems and caps are edible. Nutritionally, chanterelle mushrooms are high in fiber, and contain vitamin B and D–and some trace minerals, as well.

Clean chanterelles require just a little brushing, but from some habitats they're dirty and must be washed. Forget all that nonsense about never washing mushrooms because the flavor will wash away.