I mentioned all of the things that Labor Day symbolizes for me in my post on Sunday, but I forgot to mention something very, very important: it also signifies the start of chanterelle season.

Brandon and I are quite the mushroom-lovers and chanterelles are some of our favorites. We’re Costco shoppers and when my parents or sister find them there, we’ll often buy a package for each other. They’re just that good and their season doesn’t last that long. It also seems like they’re at Costco (for $9.99/lb) for an even shorter amount of time.

I bought theses chanterelles the other night and cooked up the full pound. We paired them with grilled chicken and my favorite kale salad (we use pine nuts instead of bread crumbs), so I went with a traditional and simple seasoning strategy: butter, salt and lemon-thyme. First, I cleaned up the mushrooms a little more by brushing them off. (Sometimes some tree needles, foliage and dirt are left behind…) Next, I sauteed them with a wee bit of olive oil and two tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium-low heat. Cooking these mushrooms is definitely a ‘low and slow’ operation. I continued cooking them, stirring occassionally, for about 20 minutes. I added the thyme and salt (and another tablespoon of butter– Shhh! Don’t tell Brandon. He’s healthier than to eat that much butter…) about 15 minutes in, to really finish the dish. Once they were the perfect texture and flavor, they were plated and thoroughly enjoyed.

I’m headed to get more chanterelles soon and these recipes caught my eye. Check out all of my recipes to try on my Pinterest “Falling into Fall” board. Go get some chanterelles for yourself and have a happy weekend!

Truffle taglietelle with chanterelle mushrooms:

Beef tenderloin stuffed with lobster and chanterelle mushrooms:

Chanterelle mushroom omelette:

And our dinner, which will be pinned once I hit publish: