Last week, at Costco of all places, I saw that chanterelle mushrooms have made their annual autumn appearance in the supermarkets.

Chanterelles are a fabulous ’shroom. Chewy, fragrant and extremely woodsy flavoured and scented. For $10 or so, I got a large pack from Costco, probably around a pound of mushrooms. I thought at first I might make mushroom soup, but that seemed too predictable. I wasn’t quite up to doing a pasta or risotto with them, so I put a twist on a classic Martha Stewart recipe. It’s one I’ve made before to great success: asparagus gruyere tart.

Chanterelle-onion tart with goat cheese

Ingredients

mushrooms. I used a mix of chanterelles (plus oysters and dehydrated porcinis for variety,) about 1 pound
one onion, sliced
one clove garlic, minced
goat cheese (amount to your liking)
gruyere cheese (grated, about 1 1/2 cups)
one sheet of frozen puff pastry dough (thawed as per box instructions)

Sautee and carmelize the onion, then set aside. In the same pan, sautee garlic, then add mushrooms. Cook until soft, over medium heat.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with gruyere. Layer onions, then mushroom mix. Bake an additional 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with goat cheese, pop back in oven until that has melted.

This was an excellent way to use the chanterelles. It highlighted their flavour and showcased them on a light crispy dough. Sort of a poor man’s pizza.

A better look at the chanterelles. I should really get a mushroom brush; there was a lot of dirt and small bits of fern on them! Straight from the woods to the oven.

It’s November, so that means it’s hunting month. Every Saturday, Mike gets up before 4 to go out hunting. Or so he says. I think it’s just an excuse to eat Pringles and homemade baked goods.

This week, I made giant soft ginger cookies and dark and milk chocolate chip cookies for the guys.

In high school when people would bring beer to parties, I would bring chocolate chip cookies. And no one would laugh at me. I guess they were pretty good.

Turns out, they’re also considered pretty good around the office as well. I’ll have to freeze more next time.

Giant Soft Ginger Cookies

4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons ground ginger, 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cloves (freshly ground if possible)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups butter at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses (I used the highest grade fancy molasses)
3/4 cup coarse sugar or granulated sugar, with cinnamon sprinkled in (not necessary, but it adds a bit of zing)