Slow cooking
Chanterelle Toasts
Golden chanterelles fried in butter with garlic and thyme, piled on sourdough with a spoonful of crème fraîche.
16 September 2026 4 min read Serves 2
Foraging notes
Chanterelles with their blunt false gills and apricot smell; check any lookalikes with an expert.
Chanterelles have blunt ridges instead of true gills and smell faintly of apricots. Learn them once and you have a lifelong friend.
They need little more than butter, garlic and good bread. The mushrooms are the point.
Best months
Ingredients
- 300g chanterelles, wiped clean
- 40g butter
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 4 thick slices of sourdough
- 4 tbsp crème fraîche
- Chopped parsley, flaky salt
Method
Dry-fry first
Put the chanterelles in a hot, dry pan for three minutes so they give up their water, then let it evaporate.
Butter and garlic
Add the butter, garlic and thyme, and fry five minutes more until golden and glossy.
Toast and pile
Toast the sourdough, spread with crème fraîche, pile the mushrooms on top and finish with parsley and salt.
Kitchen tip: Never soak chanterelles. Wipe them with a damp cloth so they fry in the pan rather than steam.
