photos and text by Caleb McBee

A pacific golden chantrelle hides beneath a budding green forest life form.

The awe and wonder you feel when you spot your first wild Pacific Golden Chanterelle is staggering. Like a golden flash snapping you out of a dream. Your heart pounds with excitement as you kneel down besides your precious find.

My first find luckily was a beautiful large fully exposed specimen. The golden cup gently accepted my hand as I carefully cut the stem through the soft foamy humus. After spotting this first one the curtains were lifted from my eyes. I immediately started spotting little specks under the crust of the forest floor. Lifting the burden of earth off their soft caps, taking in that sweet apricot-like aroma, taking in the forest. Harvesting natures wild fruits is deeply fulfilling and as I stand alone under the inspection of the trees I’m sure there’s a Sasquatch watching me.

Now that my gaze is cast with precision I start to fill my basket. My yearnings rise and fall with the adrenalin and lapse between finds. My attention and understanding grows with each find. Each new shape and fruiting ground offer a new lesson. My search ends with the falling of light and the awakening of the nocturnal woods, I must tear myself away from my fever.

I return home with my trophies, clean them of their final grip to the wildwood and as I lay out my bounty, my nostrils and kitchen fill with the fruity woodsy aromatics. I feel human and proud.

Personally no matter what I intend on doing with them I always immediately get a hot pan on the stove for a victory plate.

Victory Toast

• Big handful rough chopped chanterelles
• 1 slice of the best bread you have on hand
• Butter
• Salt
• Garlic
• White wine (not necessary)

Sauté a handful of chanties spaciously in butter until they start to break down, then add a clove of crushed garlic, cook down for a minute or two, then if you have it add a good splash of white wine (be careful if using sweet or fortified wine, you don’t want to overpower the Chanterelle). Salt to taste.

Remove shrooms but keep warm. Add more butter to the pan and fry your toast. Once golden slide your toast out onto a plate and immediately pile your mushrooms on your toast with a turn of ground pepper. Then pour a beer or some of that wine you used, sit and enjoy.

Another recipe?

Paté de Cantharellus Formosus

• 2 cups sautéed chopped chanterelles
• Butter
• ¼ c toasted nuts
• Sprig thyme
• Sprig sage

Sauté Chanties with butter and garlic. At about the midway point add a splash of wine and cream. Cook down. Add nuts to blender or food processor and grind the nuts to flour then add chanterelles, herbs and 1tbsp butter and process, adding cream by eye to even out the consistency. Blend until smooth and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into ramekins and level the top. Pour a thin layer of melted butter on the top and chill to make a seal. Use whenever.

Caleb McBee is the food and drink editor for High Con, as well as an accomplished chef, traveler, and chantrelle raider from the Pacific Northwest.