Chanterelle Cake

Here we are again in the midst of foraging season and the weather has been perfect... for mushrooms! Lots of rain = lots of delightful goodies to be found.

I've been finding hordes of Chanterelles over the last few weeks and I decided to hide them in cakes. This was today's recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Chanterelle Cake 

(I can't believe it's not Carrot Cake)

Cake Ingredients:

275g sugar
200g butter, melted
4 medium eggs
300g Chanterelles, grated
Candied lemon and orange peel
225g wholemeal plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract (I make my own by steeping vanilla in rum and it's less concentrated than shop-bought versions, so you may only need 1 tsp)

Topping Ingredients:

125g unsalted butter, melted
125g cream cheese
275g icing sugar
Candied lemon peel to decorate

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C

Grease mini loaf or muffin tin

Mix together the sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs.

Add the grated Chanterelle and candied peel.

Then add the flour and baking powder and mix well.

Fill the loaf/muffin tins about half-full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer poked in comes out almost clean.

Whisk together the cream cheese and butter.

Add the icing sugar and stir together.

Finally whisk to remove any lumps.

Spread some topping on each (cooled) cake and decorate with candied peel.

Try not to eat them all.

Until next time... Good Foraging.

Forager's Chicken

Yesterday I took the dog for a walk in Tulliallan woods and neither of us were disappointed. 2 hours later we returned home with a bag of ceps, a bag of chanterelles and big smiles on both of our faces.

I've dried the ceps for a future recipe and I decided to do my own take on Hunter's Chicken (chicken in bbq sauce and cheese) - Forager's Chicken.

For the BBQ Sauce:

300ml tomato ketchup (or a can of passata/tomatoes)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Freshly ground pepper

Method:

Fry onion until it softens.

Grind mustard seeds and chilli flakes to a powder (or use mustard and chilli powder).

Add powder to onion and fry for a minute or two.

Add all remaining ingredients and bring to the boil.

Reduce to simmer for 90 minutes.

For the Chanterelle sauce:

200g fresh Chanterelles, chopped
Milk
30g Butter
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
Seasoning

Method:

Fry chanterelles in butter for 5 minutes.

Add flour, stir and cook for 2 minutes.

Add milk a little at a time and stir to combine.

Aim for a white/cheese sauce consistency.

Season to taste, bearing in mind that the bbq sauce will have a kick.

Forager's Chicken:
I adapted this recipe from Amy Jones

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
5-6 rashers smoked bacon
BBQ Sauce
Chanterelle Sauce
30g cheese - I used mature cheddar as it was what I had, but I think parmesan would work well here.

Method:

Preheat oven to 200°C

Slice a pocket in each chicken breast and place them in an ovenproof dish.

Cover with BBQ sauce and top with bacon.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Top with Chanterelle sauce and grated cheese.

Increase oven temperature to 220°C.

Bake for a further 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Until next time, Good Foraging.

Mini Mushroom Cheesecake Calzone: Sweet Chanterelle Ravioli

Mini Mushroom Cheesecake Calzone in the oven

It's been a mixed week, here in Fife. We've had sun, rain and hail - sometimes all in one day. I have to say that whenever it rains, I just smile and think *that'll make the mushrooms grow*.

This week I found a new Chanterelle patch, less than 20mins walk from my front door. I revisited the patch yesterday and started thinking about what I could make with my haul.

In my last blog I mentioned my dislike for the texture of mushrooms, but I don't think that's the full story. I love finding and picking Chanterelles and my favourite thing about them is their sweet, fruity smell. I think I get confused when I then pair them with garlic, eggs, or other savoury flavours. I want to taste the fruitiness! So, here is my attempt to bring that flavour out:

Mini Mushroom Cheesecake Calzone

Candying Chanterelles with Long Pepper

Candied Chanterelles

Ingredients:

2 cups Chanterelles
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 Long Pepper (Long Pepper is spice which tastes like a blend of cinnamon and black pepper. Raw Chanterelles have a peppery taste, so I thought that Long Pepper would be the perfect accompanying flavour)

Method:

Dice Chanterelles and add all ingredients to a saucepan
Bring to the boil, turning the Chanterelles to ensure they are coated in the syrup
Reduce heat and simmer for 10mins
Leave to cool
Remove Chanterelles with a slotted spoon
Place in oven on lowest setting to dehydrate (I used my trusty dehydrator)
Reserve syrup for dough recipe

Sweet Pasta Dough

Sweet Pasta Dough

Ingredients:
300g 00 Flour
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
4 tbsp Chanterelle syrup

Method:
Place flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre
Add eggs, yolk and syrup and mix in flour gradually with a fork
Work together into a dough
Tip out onto a floured surface and knead for 10mins
Wrap in clingfilm and place in fridge for 30mins+
Roll out with pasta machine or rolling pin until translucent
Cut out circles (approx 3-4" in diameter)

Cheesecake Filling

Ingredients:

400g soft cheese (I used Philadelphia, but I think that Mascarpone would be delicious here)
100g caster sugar
100ml double cream
Grated zest of 2 lemons
Candied Chanterelles

Method:

Whisk together the cheese, cream, sugar, lemon zest until thick and creamy.
Add candied Chanterelles and mix thoroughly.

Calzone

These are really sweet ravioli, but I love Calzone and that is what I was thinking of when I made this recipe. Sweet, sweet Calzone.

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C
Line baking trays with greaseproof paper
Place 1 tsp of filling onto each circle of dough
Fold in half to make little ravioli/calzone/pasties/parcels
Use a fork to seal the edges
Glaze with beaten egg
Place on trays, leaving at least 1" between each calzone
Bake one tray at a time, for 10 mins, or until golden brown
Allow to cool on a rack (again, I used my dehydrator - switched off)

Serve with fruit/cream of your choice.

I will be sampling these tonight and will post an update afterwards.

Calzone chilling

Girolle out the pasta: Chanterelle Tagliatelle

My favourite foraging season is finally here - it's time for Chanterelles! There is nothing more exciting (for me), than walking through woods and spotting the orangey-yellow glint of a Chanterelle in the undergrowth.

I have found a few Chanterelles in woods near Kincardine, but I still like to make my annual pilgrimage to the East Neuk, to pick Chanterelles in Tentsmuir Forest.

As ever, before you pick and eat any wild food, please make sure that you have identified it correctly. I wasted many hours last year in a debate with a 'forager' on twitter, who was celebrating a giant haul of Chanterelles. What he had actually picked were False Chanterelles.

Falsies - or False Friends, as my mum calls them - aren't poisonous, but they neither smell nor taste like the true Chanterelle. Chanterelles smell like apricots and I have previously found them just by sniffing the air and following the scent.

There are many poisonous (often fatally) mushrooms in the UK, so please take care, check and double-check identifying features. If you are in any doubt, then do not eat what you find.

A fact that makes many of my friends laugh, is that I'm not particularly fond of eating mushrooms, despite my joy of foraging them. I do like the flavour of mushrooms, but I'm not keen on the texture. To remedy this, I decided to employ a technique from my last blog post and to use powdered Chanterelles in my recipe:

Chanterelle Tagliatelle

Ingredients

350g fresh Chanterelle - dried and powdered (I use a dehydrator and a coffee grinder) - this produced 30g of powder.
170g '00' Flour
2 eggs

Method

Mix together Chanterelle powder and flour in a bowl
Tip mixture onto a clean surface, make into a mound and make a well in the centre
Crack the eggs into the well and mix with a fork
Gradually mix in the flour until you have a sticky dough
Knead thoroughly for 10mins
Wrap dough in cling film and refridgerate for 1hr+
Work dough through pasta machine or roll out by hand until it is paper-thin
Fold and cut into strips or feed through tagliatelle attachment on pasta machine
Boil in salted water for 3-4mins (al dente)
Serve

I served this with a simple cheese sauce (parmesan and mozzarella mixed with a roux base and milk).

I loved the colour of this pasta and it tasted superb! I will definitely use this technique again, come Porcini season.

Until I write again, Happy Foraging! Xx

Chanterelle Ice Cream

As promised - a blog about what I did with my recently foraged chanterelles . . .

Scotland seems to be the perfect place to find chanterelles - so much so that I'm now finding it difficult to find new recipes to try out. That's why I decided to try something a little bit different. Chanterelles go perfectly with eggs and cream, so what better way to use them than in a Chanterelle Ice Cream? Yes, I do mean I made mushroom ice cream. 

Chanterelle Ice Cream ingredients - that's a lot of eggs!!

Chanterelle Ice Cream

This makes a very large quantity - over 2 litres - so you may want to half it!

Ingredients:

• 1 litre double cream
• 1 litre milk
• 500g sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• 14 egg yolks
• 2 whole eggs
• Salt
• 500g Chanterelle

Method:

1. Boil all but eggs together in a pan
2. Slowly pour the hot cream mix over eggs (whisking continuously, otherwise you'll scramble the eggs)
3. Blend until smooth
4. Freeze in ice cream maker
5. Enjoy

Chanterelle Ice Cream with Salmonberries

I thought that this ice cream was overly sweet, but I'm not much of a sweet fan, so that may just be me. If I were to make it again I would probably only use 350-400g sugar and half the vanilla. As it was I ate it with Salmonberries I foraged on my way home tonight and their acidity helped to cut through the sweetness for me. I still have some Salmonberries leftover, so I might make a liqueur and post the outcome in a future blog.

Over the next few weeks/months we should be getting into Porcini/Bolete season here and I have set myself the challenge of making Porcini Popcorn. I may make something entirely more palatable too. Until then xx

Raspberries, Rowans, Chanterelles and Vanilla Custard ideas

I'm on annual leave for two weeks and have just spent the most relaxing few nights in a luxury log cabin on Loch Tay, with its own hot tub and sauna - absolute bliss! And no visit to Loch Tayside (for me) would be complete without a meal planned around foraged goods - so here is what I found, bought, elicited and made:


What I foraged/elicited for free:
(clockwise from top)

Rowan Berries
Honey (elicited from the local hotel breakfast selection!)
Green Hazelnuts
Chanterelle
Raspberries
Jack Daniels miniature (personal supply (not mine) - not pictured)









What I bought:

Malbec wine (from the local hotel)
2 wood pigeon breasts (shot locally and bought in Aberfeldy butchers)
Butternut squash
Shallot
Bacon (Ayrshire bacon - cue joke: "Is that your Ayrshire bacon?" "Naw, am just heating ma hauns!")
Vanilla Custard (from the reduced section in local shop)
"Donut" peaches

What I made:

Pigeon with Raspberry/Rowan sauce
Butternut and Chanterelle casserole
BBQ peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream
Raspberry Cranachan

Pigeon with Raspberry/Rowan Sauce

Ingredients:

2 pigeon breasts
Raspberries
Rowan Berries
Malbec (or any red wine - the fruitier the better)

Sugar

Method:

1. Fry pigeon for 2mins on each side then left in warm place to rest
2. Using the pan from cooking the pigeon - add 75g raspberries and 25g rowan berries and some sugar
3. Cook until sugar has dissolved and fruit has softened then squash fruit to a pulp
4. Add wine (approx 50ml) and cook gently to combine
5. Sieve and return to pan and boil rapidly to reduce volume and thicken sauce
6. Serve over pigeon breasts

Butternut and Chanterelle Casserole

Ingredients:

1/2 Butternut Squash, cubed
1 slice bacon, roughly diced
1 banana shallot, roughly diced
8 small Chanterelle, roughly chopped
Drizzle of honey

Method:

1. Fry bacon until crispy and set aside
2. Fry shallot in same pan for 5mins
3. Add Butternut Squash and fry for 10 mins - add water as required to stop it sticking
4. Add Chanterelle and fry for 5 mins
5. Add honey, salt and pepper and bacon and heat through
6. Serve

Pigeon with Raspberry/Rowan sauce
served with Butternut and Chanterelle casserole
and boiled potatoes

BBQ peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3 donut peaches, sliced
1/2 carton of vanilla custard
Drizzle of honey

Method:

1. Put custard in freezer and mix every 30mins until ice cream constistency (about 2 hours) 
2. Thread peach slices onto skewers, drizzle with honey and BBQ
3. Serve peaches with Ice Cream

BBQ peaches and Ice Cream

Raspberry Cranachan

Ingredients:

Raspberries
Honey
Hazelnuts - Cranachan is traditionally made with toasted oats but I experimented with green hazelnuts as they are in season right now. However, I do not think their vegetable-y flavour was right for this dish. In the future I would use roasted, dried hazelnuts or walnuts instead.
1/2 carton of vanilla custard
1/2 miniature bottle of Jack Daniels - I'm sure using an American bourbon means that this is no longer authentic Cranachan, but foragers can't be choosers.

Method:

1. Whip custard to soft peaks
2. Add raspberries, pot of honey, toasted nuts, whisky/bourbon/liqueur of choice and mix
3. Chill
4. Enjoy

Raspberry Cranachan

All in a day's forage and evening's cooking :) And since we foraged 1kg of Chanterelle on the way home, I think there will be another post shortly . . .

Wild Gooseberries, Wild Strawberries, Sweet Cicely, Elderflowers and Chanterelle

So here is my first ever blog and an attempt to stop clogging up facebook with my foraged goods and recipes! My blog will chart the appearance and uses of various seasonal and local foraged foods (with some occasional, cheeky, non-foraged items). I live in Edinburgh, Scotland, but I forage all over the UK.

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I hope to enjoy the experience!

Foraged foods:

• Wild gooseberries (500g)
• Sweet cicely seeds (small handful) - Sweet Cicely seeds, leaves and root taste of aniseed, but the seeds can also be used as a sweetener in cooking. The leaves make a nice wild substitute for Tarragon - try them in Tarragon Chicken!
• Chanterelles (1kg)  
• Elderflowers (30 heads)
• Wild strawberries (300g)

Wild Gooseberries and Sweet Cicely

                

                   
Wild Gooseberry

Sweet Cicely

Gooseberry Bakewell Tarts

Gooseberry and Sweet Cicely Cheesecake

Gooseberry Bakewell Tarts

Recipe adapted from: Gooseberry and Elderflower Bakewell Tarts

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 500g plain flour
• 100g icing sugar
• 250g cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
• 2 free range eggs

For the gooseberry jam:

• 225g wild gooseberries
• 150ml water
• 225g granulated sugar

For the frangipane:

• 3 free range eggs, plus 1 free range egg yolk
• 150g softened butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g ground almonds
• 100g untoasted flaked almonds

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C
Grease one 24-hole mini muffin tin

For the Pastry:
(this is delicious and I will definitely use this again - see Wild Strawberry Tart)
Blend the flour, icing sugar and butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add vanilla seeds and mix thoroughly. Add egg and mix to form a paste. Roll into a ball, flatten, cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (the pastry, obviously - you've got more work to do!).

For the Gooseberry Jam:
Place a saucer in the fridge.

Add the gooseberries and water to a large pan and simmer until tender (about 15mins). Reduce the heat, add sugar and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase heat and boil for 8-10mins. Test for set by dropping a teaspoon of the jam on the chilled saucer, letting it cool for a minute and then pushing your finger through it. If the jam wrinkles then it is set, if not then keep boiling and check using this method every 5mins.

For the Frangipane:
Beat the eggs and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs slowly until well combine. Stir in the ground almonds.

To make the Tarts:
Roll the pastry out thinly on a floured surface and use to line the muffin tin. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (again, the pastry).

Place a teaspoon of jam in the bottom of each tart case and top with a teaspoon of frangipane. Decorate with flaked almonds.

Bake in the oven for 15-20mins or until golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

I had lots of leftover pastry and frangipane (I made 36 mini tarts) so I foraged some Wild Strawberries to make a big Wild Strawberry Tart! Otherwise I would have just eaten the leftover pastry and maybe made a plum clafoutis with the frangipane.

Goosely Cheesecake

Recipe adapted from: Gooseberry and Sweet Cicely Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 300g ginger biscuit crumbs
• 175g butter, melted
• 400g cream cheese (2 standard tubs of Philadelphia)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 lemon
• 1 1/4 cups caster sugar
• 2 cups gooseberries (about 200g), topped and tailed
• 1 teaspoon Sweet Cicely seeds, finely chopped

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 175C
2. Mix the biscuit crumbs and butter together, press the mixture into a 9-inch springform tin and put this in the fridge.
3. Beat the cheese, lemon juice, eggs and 3/4 cup of sugar until smooth. Pour the filling into the base and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Cook the gooseberries with 1/4 cup of sugar and a wee splash of water for 8-10 minutes (or until soft). Drain well. Blend the gooseberries and Sweet Cicely seeds together.
5. Once the cheesecake has baked for 30 minutes, allow it to cool for 5 minutes and then carefully spread the goosely mixture on top.
6. Beat the creme fraiche with 1/4 cup of sugar and slowly and slowly pour this over the top of the goosely.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until just set (mine took 45 minutes, but my oven has a mind of its own!)
8. Turn off the oven and leave the cake inside for 1-12 hours.
9. Serve the cheesecake at room temperature.

Chanterelle

Chanterelle

Chanterelle and Ricotta Ravioli

Chanterelle and Ricotta Ravioli 

Recipe adapted from: Chanterelle and Ricotta Ravioli

Ingredients:

For the pasta:

•             140g Italian '00' flour

•             1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk

•             Pinch of saffron or paprika

For the filling:

•             Handful lemon thyme, finely chopped

•             2 cloves garlic, crushed

•             150 g chanterelle mushrooms, finely chopped

•             olive oil

•             150 g ricotta cheese

•             1/2 lemon

•             1 egg, whisked

For the sage butter:

•             100g butter

•             small bunch of sage, leaves only

Method:

1. For the pasta: pulse the flour and saffron/paprika in a food processor. Add the whole egg and egg yolk. Mix for 2-3 minutes until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Tip out the dough and knead for a minute or so until smooth. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in a cool place for 1 hour before using.

3. Cut the dough in half, flatten each piece with a rolling pin to about 5mm thickness. Fold over the dough and pass it through a pasta machine at its widest setting, refolding and rolling several times until you have a rectangular shape.

4. To roll the pasta, start with the pasta machine at its widest setting, pass the dough through the rollers. Do not fold but repeat this process, decreasing the roller setting down grade by grade with each pass until it gets to the thinnest setting. Use straight away to make the ravioli.

5. For the filling: mix together the garlic, mushroom and lemon thyme. Lightly fry in olive oil until the mushrooms dry out and season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon.

6. Add the mushroom mixture to the ricotta and season to taste.

7. Lay out the pasta and cut it into two equal sized large rectangles. Evenly space tablespoons of ricotta along one pasta sheet, leaving 2-3cm around the edge of each mound. Brush the gaps between the mounds with the beaten egg, then lay the other piece of pasta on top, sandwiching the mounds in the middle. Press the joins firmly with your hands, then cut out the mounds into ravioli with a sharp knife or pastry cutter.

8. Boil the pasta for 4 minutes in salted water.

9. While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter and sage in a frying pan and fry until the butter foams.

10. Drain the pasta and toss in the sage and butter. Serve immediately.

Elderflowers

Elderflowers

Elderflower Cordial

Elderflower Cordial

Recipe adapted from: Elderflower Cordial

Ingredients

• 30 elderflower heads
• 1.7 litres of boiling water
• 900g caster sugar
• 2 clementines, sliced
• 2 unwaxed lemons, sliced
  
  50g citric acid (I got mine online)

Preparation method

1. Gently shake the elderflowers to remove any dirt or little creatures.
2. Strip the elderflowers from the stems.
3. Pour the boiling water over the sugar in a very large mixing bowl. Stir well and leave to cool.
4. Add the clementine and lemon slices, and then the flowers.
5. Leave in a cool place for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
6. Strain through some muslin, add the citric acid and transfer to sterilised bottles.

Wild Strawberries

Wild Strawberries

Wild Strawberry Tart

Wild Strawberry Tart

Ingredients:

• 1/2 quantity of pastry and frangipane from Gooseberry Bakewell Tart recipe
• 350g Wild Strawberries
• 1/2 lemon
• 200g sugar
• Flaked almonds (to decorate)

Method:

Line loose-bottomed tart (and allow yourself a smile/grimace at the thought) tin with pastry. Put in fridge for 30 minutes.

Gently heat strawberries, sugar and lemon juice until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat to a boil and check regularly for set with the "cold saucer and wrinkle test". 

Once set, pour jam into pastry base and top with frangipane.

Decorate with flaked almonds.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

And that is me finally at the end of my July forage/recipe blog - see you in August!! x