Chanterelle & Fig Crostini

The chanterelle. Despite its romantic twirl off the tongue, you'd think it was practically domesticated—an off-the-shelf French floozy Halloween costume. Is there an A-list wild mushroom that gets less respect, after all, than the chanty? Like an over-exposed model, it has the faint whiff of "been there done that." Well, I for one wouldn't kick a golden chanterelle out of bed for eating Cheez-Its!

Their fruity nose of apricots is unique in the fungal kingdom, and that fruitiness carries over into taste. Though earthy like other wild mushrooms, the chanterelle's flavor is also reminiscent of orchards and vineyards and other more civilized habitats. In my neck of the woods they're without a doubt the most common of the wild mushrooms, gracing even the shelves of the local supermarket.

Admittedly, I wasn't too keen on the fig when a few of us first concocted this simple crostini. I thought the addition of fresh fig would take the fruitiness too far, but in fact it merely drives home the fact that chanterelles are a woodsy treat with the big taste of a California cabernet.