Day 11: Chanterelles in plain chocolate

 Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius)


Chanterelles are a prize of early Autumn normally - although they can be spotted in some places from July onwards.  We have a few secret (people are VERY territorial about their chanterelles picking spots, aren't they?) places locally where we like to pick these golden fungi.  We started to dry them for storage a few years ago, and realised how tasty they are as a 'crisp', which if course led me to wonder what they would be like dipped in chocolate! Chocolate dipped chanterelles made their debut at the Scottish Wild Food Festival a few years ago, and I have been making a chanterelles chocolate bar for a few years now.

I have also tried pickling, fermenting and cold-smoking them - all to great effect, and of course, just in the classic way, fried in butter with some garlic.  I have read that some people steep them in syrup - which they say takes them on a journey with their sweet apricot flavour side.  One to try in the future!

We have paired chanterelles with many chocolates in the past - this year it is the Pump Street Chocolate Haiti 70% that has stepped up to the task - and really excelled at it.  The chocolate in my mind is super chocolatey with lovely forward flavours, and the chanterelles bring a lovely earthy, umami edge to that.  Very woodlandy.


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