A year ago on this date, I was privileged to attend the first of three performances of The Crucible at the Old Vic. What a night it was! Seated on the front row, in front of the celebrated wash basin, no less! Though seriously jet-lagged and moderately mortified by Mom’s continuous propensity to nod off, it was an experience I’ll never forget. Richard was magnificent, his physicality, performance and… okay, let’s just say it… his physique! Definitely worth celebrating today.
And, I have a notion of just how to celebrate this evening. We returned from Colorado with some delicious mountain spoils… a hefty 2+ lb bag of chanterelles, and one lonely bolete. The wedding, you see, was on a mountaintop. And while we were there, my aunt (not the one getting married!) and I spied a little patch of orange. We had the wherewithal to refrain from disrupting the ceremony with such an announcement, but made plans to return to an area of slightly higher elevation the following day.
We hit the motherload! And my Young Love was especially chuffed to be allowed the use of a paring knife to help collect the wild mushrooms. Though, he was definitely more interested in battling a bear with the knife, should such an unfortunate beast appear on our hike. Thankfully for the bear, none arrived to meet its death at the hands of the warrior.
My aunt having had such a chanterelle season as to be tired of these delicacies, she gave us her portion, which I carried home earlier this week. Today’s the day we’re going to treat ourselves to a gourmet dinner, and Hubby has been dutifully washing wild mushrooms this morning, and texted me this pic, with the comment, “I should send you two to Colorado more often!”
Looks like we’ll be eating well this evening!
Happy Cruciversary and enjoy your certainly delicious meal!
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Thanks, Suzy! I thought I’d watch The Crucible again, but instead it will be Hannibal! But sometime this weekend, I have a date with John Proctor. =)
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Happy Cruciversary! And happy dinner!
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Thanks, Esther!
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If I recall, haven’t you started your own patch of mushrooms? Enjoy the Chanterelles. We want to hear how you used them. And as always, looking forward to reading what you have to say about Hannibal
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You recall correctly… we have some morels on our property. The plan is to sauté in butter with fresh thyme, shallots, and a splash of white wine, then add a bit of broth and cream to form a sauce. And my aunt says the sautéed mushrooms will freeze well, so we’ll keep some aside for a later date. As to Hannibal… I LOVED it.
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Enchanting! I am so envious of your shrooms–and I agree, the best is to sauté and freeze. You have some fantastic meals ahead, and now you’ll think of Richard every time you enjoy them 🙂
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They were delightful! Amazing the amount of water that must be cooked off of this variety! I’ve eaten chanterelles before, but never prepared them.
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Happy Cruciversary! And oh, those chanterelle look good. How were they? I like them best fried with a bit of salted butter and served on toast. Yum!
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Thanks, Guylty! They were fabulous. I thought there was almost an apricot note- very aromatic!- while they were cooking, though the taste was mild and not apricot. They’d be lovely on toast, but we’re low-carbing so we just had them in a simple cream sauce over some grilled chicken.
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Oh, that actually sounds absolutely delicious. Must try that, myself. (But I think chanterelle season is already over here.)
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Ah! Do you find them in Ireland, too? I love mushrooming!
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Yes, they grow here (and back home in Germany). Mushroom hunting is great!
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Mmmmm. Kudos to hubby for patience in washing them off, it’s not the easiest thing. And happy Cruciversary — SO glad you are here among us!
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Aw, thanks, Servetus! I know! I felt kind of guilty that he was stuck in the time-consuming task of washing such a number. Though, dinner would have been very late on the table if we’d waited until I got home. *coughs* That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. =)
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Happy Crucible anniversary! How fitting to celebrate with something so delicious!!! I just love all mushrooms and these in particular! I always felt so lucky when i Germany to be able to have these with just some Knodel and a lot of cream sauce 🙂 Yum!
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Oh, me too. I have never met a mushroom I didn’t like. LOL. Knodel… that’s dumplings? What are they made of? That does sound yummy!
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they can me made of bread, Semmelknodel: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/semmelknoedel-bread-dumplings/ or of potatoes, which are lighter http://www.food.com/recipe/kartoffelkloesse-german-potato-dumplings-59894
Both go very well with saucy foods, meat sauce and especially mushrooms 🙂
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