Recipe: pappardelle with chanterelles
My email has been inundated with inquiries from family, friends, and readers about our situation amidst the devastating flooding in the Colorado Front Range. Jeremy, Kaweah, and I are safe. Our house is fine. Our little mountain town of Nederland is more or less fine with only one viable route out of town – we are near the top where our water catchment area is relatively small. Thank you for your concern. Sadly, several neighboring mountain and canyon communities (Lyons, Jamestown, Salina) have been cut off and badly damaged from heavy flooding, mass wasting, road and ground collapse. All canyon roads in Boulder County are closed due to damage (sections of roads completely washed away) and/or rock slides, and it could be months before some of these roads open again. A normally 25-minute commute to Boulder might wind up becoming a 90-minute commute for a while. On the flats, parts of Boulder and surrounding cities have suffered terrible flooding as a year’s worth of rainfall collected in the mountains in a matter of a days and came funneling down the mountains as a wall of destruction and energy.
People poke fun at and bag on Boulder all the time. I just smile and sit on my hands so I don’t accidentally punch anyone. I suppose it is an easy target with all of its enlightenment, local food movement, yoga, ultra athletes, ultra outdoors people, food allergies, restrictive diets, casual atmosphere, dedication to local businesses, lovely parks, extensive bike paths, public services, love of dogs, Subarus, and countless independent coffee shops. It’s a special kind of place, one that I love dearly. It has a lot of heart and community. Good people live there and make it the great town that it is. Even though the rains have not yet stopped, people are already helping friends and strangers alike clean up flooded homes and neighborhoods.
If you would like to help with a financial or material donation or to volunteer, please visit Help Colorado Now for more information.
Over the past several days, Jeremy and I have been safe, but stuck at home with an occasional walk around our neighborhood. Authorities requested that everyone stay home and let rescue and repair crews work. All parks and trails are closed. We snatched tidbits of news from friends, emergency status pages, and university alerts. Our hearts ached with every flash flood warning and flood surge that raced down the canyons. And we sighed with relief each time a friend checked in on Facebook, Twitter, via text or email. We even caught a few short breaks from the rains on Friday.
that’s my colorado
and a nice sunset to boot
Saturday was Jeremy’s birthday. He turned 40, which is a milestone year because we are a decimal-based society and because he was awarded tenure a few months ago. His present is our second home in Crested Butte, so I didn’t feel compelled to get him anything else. We were going to have friends up to celebrate with a nice meal until those plans washed away with the roads leading up to our place. We didn’t want to risk the safety of any of our friends and decided to cancel. But that didn’t mean Jeremy wasn’t going to get his multi-course dinner party… I split it up into lunch and dinner since there was so much food. It’s all of his favorite dishes, which he gets to enjoy throughout the week.
salumi, charcuterie, cheese, crackers, pickled things, bubbles
pan-seared scallops on frisée, corn, cherry tomatoes with white wine reduction sauce
a bowl of lobster corn chowder
miso black cod with baby bok choy and pickled ginger
I had multiple desserts lined up for our guests, but since it was just us, I stuck with the cake. We settled on one candle per decade so we wouldn’t burn the house down. Jeremy had requested a white Russian cake and I decorated it with little chocolate-covered crisped rice pearls. Placing each of those pearls on a cake is a labor of love.
white russian cake with valrhona crunchy chocolate pearls
four layers soaked in boozy goodness
We had the noodle dish at lunch because the Chinese tradition is to eat uncut noodles on your birthday for long life. There are so many noodle dishes to choose from, but I already knew he loves this one in particular and with good reason! It has chanterelles.
pasta, bacon, chanterelles, parmesan, garlic, butter, salt, parsley, cream, white wine, pepper
What is the best way to clean fresh mushrooms? My first choice is to use a delicate brush to remove any dirt from the mushroom. My second choice is to use a damp paper towel to wipe them clean. Just promise me you won’t wash the mushrooms in water. That’s a great way to ruin a good pan-sear on a mushroom.
clean the chanterelles with a brush
slice the mushrooms
chop the cooked bacon
This is quite similar to the fresh porcini mushroom pasta, but fresh chanterelles can stand up to bolder flavors better than fresh porcini. A light sprinkle of finely chopped cooked bacon with the chanterelles creates a little magic.
prepped: sliced chanterelles, fresh pappardelle, minced garlic, parmesan, chopped parsley, chopped bacon, butter, white wine, cream, pepper, salt
add garlic to the butter-sautéed chanterelles
pour in the wine
add cream when the wine is almost completely evaporated
I bought these chanterelles for a pretty penny at Whole Foods, but I have friends here in Colorado, in Seattle, and in Norway who forage chanterelles that look far more attractive. However you can get them, they are wonderful. I dare say I may even prefer them to the porcini. You can use whichever pasta shape you like most. My favorite happens to be pappardelle. I especially love the bite and texture of the wide pasta cooked al dente.
toss cooked pappardelle with the sauce
season with salt and pepper
ready to serve
I garnish with nearly as many ingredients as there are in the sauce, but it all makes for a nice combination of salty, creamy, herbal, crunchy, tangy. First I place a small pile of the pasta and sauce on a plate, then sprinkle grated Parmesan, some flake sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, a few crumbles of bacon, chopped parsley, and then one or two slices of sautéed chanterelle. Definitely a special dish for a special occasion.
with the finishing touches
a little goes a long way
Pappardelle with Chanterelles
[print recipe]
2 tbsps butter
4-6 oz. fresh chanterelles, cleaned and sliced 1/8-inch thick (or use another kind of fresh mushroom)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup (or more) heavy cream
8 oz. dry or 12 oz. fresh pappardelle, cooked just under al dente
salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated
2 slices bacon, cooked and chopped fine
2 tbsps parsley, chopped fine
Melt the butter in a stainless steel sauté pan (just don’t use non-stick pans) over high heat. Add the chanterelles when the butter is hot and sauté until lightly browned and cooked. [At this point you can reserve a few of the nicer looking slices for garnish if you plan to go that route.] Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (about a minute). Pour in the white wine and simmer until the wine is nearly evaporated. Add the cream and bring the sauce to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add the pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Gently toss the pasta with the sauce. Place some pasta and sauce on a plate. Garnish with Parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of bacon crumbs, parsley, and any additional salt and pepper. Top with a slice or two of the sautéed chanterelles. Serves 2-4.
more goodness from the use real butter archives
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September 15th, 2013: 11:38 pm
filed under cheese, dairy, meat, pasta, recipes, savory, wine
