Chanterelles

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The last day of a vacation during which I didn’t want to set foot outside Southern California. What more fitting finale than a relaxed late-morning visit to the Santa Monica farmers market? The chanterelles at David West’s mushroom stand were gorgeous, so I bought a bunch of tiny ones. Josiah Citrin was there, too, buying some for his restaurant, Mélisse (that’s him shown in the photo). What was he planning to do with them? ‘Dover sole,’ he said, with corn, almonds, the chanterelles and brown butter. Sounds fantastic. ‘I do it every year,’ he pointed out.

As for me, I’ll just sauté them with some shallots in a little butter, maybe swirl in a touch of crème fraîche, and toss it with fresh egg pasta. Or maybe fold them into an omelet.

-- Leslie Brenner

Photos by Leslie Brenner