It always seemed to me like such a waste to blitz the prized chanterelles into a smooth cream—until I actually tried it! This recipe pairs pork chops made to perfection with sautéed chanterelles and a delicious chanterelle cream sauce to make an indulgent dinner. 

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Chanterelles (Cantharellus)

They don’t call them mushroom gold for nothing! Finding yellow chanterelles feels like you’ve hit the jackpot, because they are some of the most delicious and versatile of wild mushrooms. This is a smooth chanterelle (Cantharellus lateritius) photographed in western Pennsylvania.

There are many species of yellow chanterelles around the world. One of them, Cantharellus lateritius, commonly known as the smooth chanterelle, is very common in the eastern United States, including Pennsylvania. They are definitely some of the tastiest mushrooms I’ve eaten, along with black trumpets (Craterellus sp.), chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), and, believe it or not, blushers (Amanita rubescens). I really like blushers. But back to chanterelles!

Smooth chanterelles grow in association with oaks and potentially with other hardwoods as well. Their season in the northern hemisphere usually starts in July and can last until the fall. Chanterelles love rain, warm weather and humidity, so head to the woods about 2-3 days after some heavy rainfall followed by hot and humid days to find your golden treasure. If you’re not confident in your mushroom foraging skills or just not having any luck, you can often find fresh chanterelles at local farmer’s markets, but be prepared to pay a hefty price as they are in the top 5 of the most expensive mushrooms. I’ve seen the price range from $20 per pound to $55. A pound of dried chanterelles goes for $224 per pound, but I wouldn’t recommend those, since chanterelles, unlike most mushrooms, don’t dry well.

Taste & Edibility

See Chanterelles on Toast recipe for taste and edibility notes.

Medicinal Properties

See Chanterelles on Toast recipe for medicinal properties.

Pork Chops with Chanterelle Cream Sauce

It always seemed to me like such a waste to blitz the prized chanterelles into a smooth cream—until I actually tried it. It is delicious, but if you don’t have a lot of chanterelles, I’d definitely enjoy them whole first until you get your chanterelle fix and you’re craving something different. This recipe pairs pork chops made to perfection with sautéed chanterelles and a delicious chanterelle cream sauce to make an indulgent dinner.

To make the perfect pork chops, the trick is to sear them in a hot (ideally iron-cast) ovenproof skillet for 3 minutes, then flip them, and finish them in the oven at 400°F (205°C) for 6-7 minutes. Until I knew this trick, my pork chops always tasted like chewy rubber, but now, I actually enjoy them.

Chanterelles go really well with cream and so mixing the sautéed chanterelles with beef broth and cream until smooth makes the perfect accompaniment for meat. You can serve this cream sauce for steak, pork chops, as well as chicken. Or pour it over pasta.

Disclaimer

Please be extremely careful cooking and eating foraged mushrooms. Never eat a mushroom that you are not 100% sure of its ID. The best way to learn how to identify and forage for edible mushrooms in your area is to join a local mushroom club or go with a trusted mushroom identifier or a mycologist. Then, even if you are 100% sure of its ID and know it's an edible mushroom, always try small quantities of a new mushroom first before eating a large batch to make sure it sits with you well. 

• Prep Time: 10 minutes

• Cook Time: 30 minutes

• Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

• 400 g chanterelles (cleaned and roughly chopped if big)
• 1½ tbsp butter
• 2 small shallots (chopped)
• 200 ml / ¾ cup beef broth
• 200 ml / ¾ cup cream
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 4 bone-in pork chops
• salt and pepper
• bread for serving
• flat-leaf parsley for garnish (chopped)

Preparation

Chanterelles can be quite dirty, especially after heavy rains that makes their undersides covered in dirt. You can wash them in water (unlike other mushrooms), but make sure you dry them well on paper towels and dry-sauté them first to get the liquid out. Only after the liquid evaporates, add the fat.

1. Clean the chanterelles. Hopefully you have done some cleaning right in the woods, but if not, cut off the ends and if needed, quickly rinse under running water and let dry on paper towels.

2. Preheat oven to 400℉ (205℃).

3. Add them to a large frying pan on medium heat without any fat. Releasing moisture, the mushroom will cook in liquid for a few minutes. After the liquid has evaporated, add 1 tbsp butter and continue to sauté, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and separate out a quarter of the mushrooms.

4. Melt the remaining ½ tbsp butter in the pan. Add shallots and sauté until slightly browned, about 3 minutes.

5. Add back 3/4 of chanterelles to the pan and add beef broth. Bring to a boil and reduce to half.

6. Add cream and cook for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a high-speed mixer and mix until smooth and homogeneous. Transfer to a sauce pan and keep warm.

7. Heat up the iron cast skillet until super hot, about 5 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, wash and dry the pork chops. Season with salt and pepper.

9. Once the skillet is hot, add 1 tbsp canola oil and add the pork chops. Sear for 3 minutes without moving them. After that, flip them and place the skillet in the oven for 6-7 minutes to cook them through. Take them out of the oven and let rest for 3 minutes.

10. Garnish with a sprinkling of parsley. Serve with bread!

Let me know what you think in the comments! I'd love to hear from you. Head to my Instagram account @fungiwoman for daily posts about my mushroom adventures. Also, check out my shop for some mushroom-inspired products and sign up for the newsletter to get updates. 

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