There are two great ways to prepare Chanterelle mushrooms, in my opinion. One is Cream of Chanterelle Soup (which I'll demonstrate later on video), and the other is a base mixture for dry saute'ing Chanterelles, which I call Chanterelle Shazam. Follow this link to my recipe for Chanterelles Shazam on AllRecipes.com.
But to summarize: Saute sliced shallots and finely chopped garlic in olive oil until limp, then add Chanterelles. Small mushrooms may be added whole. Chop medium-sized Chanties in half, lengthwise, and quarter larger Chanties.
Stir the mushrooms into the mixture (in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat) along with a pad of butter. They will begin to sizzle as the heat causes them to bleed out their moisture. You'll see liquid collect, boiling, in the bottom of the pan.
After perhaps 5-10 minutes, the liquid should mostly boil off, and the sizzling intensifies when this happens. This is the point at which you will add coarse ground salt and pepper, and then some of your favorite sweet wine (sherry or port), or white wine if you prefer.
Fresh Chanterelles are best used in this mixture. However, as I demonstrate in this video, you can also thaw Chanterelles frozen in blocks of ice, and use them; just don't expect them to bleed off much moisture during the boil (or to absorb the flavors to the same extent at the end of the boil).
Chanterelles Shazam is great as an accompaniment to a nice steak or red meat; as a side dish with rice; or even mixed into other dishes such as Cream of Chanterelle Soup. But you can also use this method to preserve mushrooms for later use. Simply let the mixture cool, then ladle into quart-sized freezer bags, seal, and freeze for later use.
