Though the patch in Kintore woods wasn’t quite as prolific as last year, there were still far more chanterelles growing in damp little clumps than I could have shaken a stick at (had I felt the need to wobble some wood at fungi). In the end I settled for a mere basketful for I did, after all, have to painstakingly clean each one of the dirty little buggers when I got home.
Much brushing and trimming and wine later I was faced with a large pile of bug/mud free mushrooms and immediately began to fantasize about a creamy chicken and chanterelle pie. A rather wintery dish for August but it was raining hard outside so stodge didn’t seem too unreasonable. Alas, there was no chicken in my fridge and the thought of a driech drive to the shops was not at all appealling. Instead, I started to think about alternatives and remembered a cauliflower and mushroom pie I’d read about in Veganomicon.
A tweak here (different herbs, different mushrooms), a substitution there (cow’s milk rather than soya; puff pastry rather than biscuity crust) and I had an absolutely delicious pie. So good, in fact, I don’t see me making the chicken version for some time. 🙂
Cauliflower and Chanterelle Pie
(serves 2)
600ml bechamel sauce (butter, flour, milk, bay and nutmeg – recipe/instructions here)
1/2 tspn dried oregano
1/2 tspn dried thyme
1 tspn Dijon mustard
1 tblspn oil
1 leek, chopped
2 handfuls of chanterelles
1 tspn white wine vinegar
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
Puff pastry (I used ready-made & rolled)
- Firstly, make your bechamel sauce and add the dried herbs and mustard to it. Simmer for 10 minutes to let flavours combine, season and set aside.
- In a different pan, fry the leek gently for 5 minutes until softened. Add the chanterelles and vinegar cook for another 5 minutes until the juices have been released.
- Add the cauliflower florets and stir well. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes until the cauliflower has just softened (you may need to add a teeny bit of water to stop the veg from sticking to the pan).
- Mix the herby sauce with the vegetables and pour into an oven proof dish.
- Cover with puff pastry and brush with beaten egg.
- Bake in a 190oC oven until the pastry is golden and puffy.
- Dig in.
A Wee Bit of Cooking 
I loved that mushrooms shot, Wendy. I am glad you know your stuff when it comes to picking mushrooms. I would be too scared of picking the wrong thing, so I am impressed.
Your pie looks utterly delicious. I think I will have to make it too! I hadn’t thought of adding vinegar to the mushrooms, does that make quite a big difference to the flavour?
At least with the wine, the time must have gone quicker! Sounds like a great dish.
Holler – I only know chanterelles and ceps. That’s it. Trying to befriend Eastern Europeans at the moment – apparently they often know lots about fungi picking!
Not entirely sure why vinegar is added. It does add a much needed tang but perhaps it also makes the moisture come out of the mushrooms? If you make the pie let me know how it goes! 🙂
Beth – Yes, wine does that I find. 😉
Oh my god! I was just replying to your comment about the kilo of chanterelles in 20 minutes and how I thought of you when I was writing it – ‘I bet Wendy has them growing on her doorstep…’ I can’t imagine the sheer delight of that! Oh yes, fab pie, by the way.
Wonderful what we can come up with when we want to avoid a rainy dash to the store!
Well done!
I hate cleaning those mushrooms… but wine does help!
I wish we got a variety of mushrooms here that I can explore. Unfortunately we only get button and portobellos and they are always so darn expensive (imported only)
Bravo! I will make this, although, I, too, am limited in my mushroom choices.
Thank you!
hi wendy,
great post, the pie looks lush! I have just noticed that your blogg is featured on the wordpress home page!!! 🙂
I’m entirely jealous that you have such good access to chanterelles. When we get them – they’re gorgeous, but man, are they expensive.
I’ll let you know how I get on Wendy. I am off on Wednesday, so I may make it then.
Helen – Hee hee! That’s too funny. 🙂
Katie – Just realised how lazy this post makes me sound!!!
Cynthia – That really is a shame. Assume your climate is just too hot?
Anna – You’re welcome!
Megan – Really? Off to look!
Giz – So I saw at Helen’s blog. That’s crazy!
Holler – Look forward to hearing about it. 🙂
I saw some in our local grocer. Imported from France.
When I saw them I thought immediately of your Flickr shots…and there is the result. Should the recipe say 1 tablespoon of oil rather than 1 tablespoon of leek? (Sorry…just noticed it as I was copying down the recipe. Am on own at the moment and have a really pretty cauli just waiting to be used. And clearly some of those chanterelles from the grocer will be coming home with me this week, too.)
chanterelles seem so fancy – do you think all the work cleaning them up makes them so expensive elsewhere? I didn’t envy you the cleaning but I did love the sound of that pie!
Ohhhhh I wish I knew of a patch of those little gems around here. I love chanterelles!!!!