Dux Confit

Last week, after a leisurely French breakfast of pastries, pastis and a mushroom duxelles omelette with fries, we strolled the grounds of the famed Santa Monica farmers market like hunters and gatherers on an a.m. liquor buzz. Predictably the mushroom stand caught our eyes. We circled ’round and grasped at beautiful fungi while joking with the shroom guy.

New farmers market concept: elaborate food stands that give shoppers the impression of foraging for wild mushrooms yourselves — a Portobello cap here, a shitake stem there, bending down and unearthing lobster mushrooms from under the table…
Ludicrous ideas aside, we purchased half a pound each of fresh chanterelles (it is fall, people!) and scurried home. First on the menu? In a bout of lunch box paranoia, Evan flipped with fear that the mushrooms would shrivel in the fridge and miss their peak. So we minced the beauties and made a mushroom duxelles – classic French (say it ‘duke-sell’) for olive oil preserved mushrooms roasted with shallots and wine.
Nearly a tapenade, the stuff worked on vegan bruschetta and on top of the gorgeous spinach and pine nut pasta handrolls left over from Elf Café.

Chanterelle Duxelles
(Makes 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 pound fresh chanterelles
1 cup minced crimini
2 shallots, peeled
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
1 Tbs. cream sherry
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Slice and then roughly mince your ‘shrooms. You want something between thick confetti and a dice. Mince the shallots too.
2. Put a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat, add about a tablespoon of olive oil (for ultimate naughtiness, use French butter) and start cooking off the mushrooms and shallots in three batches (so not to steam the mushrooms, the idea is to steal their liquid and replace it with wine and oil): Add one-third of the mixture and sauté for about 10 minutes or until much of the moisture has cooked off. Set aside on a plate and repeat until all the mushrooms are sauted.
3. Combine all together back on high heat and add wine and sherry. Let cook off completely, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Let cool and then empty into a glass or ceramic dish for storing (up to one week). Cover the mixture with the rest of your olive oil or until submerged.
Beverage: Cantillon St. Lamvinus
Soundtrack: Feist’s “Mushaboom”