A Forager's Meal: Flammkuchen with Funnel Chanterelles, Black Forest Ham & Goat Cheese

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The quiet transition from autumn to winter is not a bad time at all. It's a time for protecting and securing things and for making sure you've got in as many supplies as you can. It's nice to gather together everything you possess as close to you as possible, to store up your warmth and your thoughts and burrow yourself into a deep hole inside, a core of safety where you can defend what is important and precious and your very own. Then the cold and the storms and the darkness can do their worst. They can grope their way up the walls looking for a way in, but they won't find one, everything is shut, and you sit inside, laughing in your warmth and your solitude, for you have had foresight.

– Tove Jansson, Moominvalley in November

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I was foraging mushrooms with my mom last Friday. It was a chilly day, snow lying here and there in the forest. We were looking for funnel chanterelles. They are quite common at this latitude. They don't mind frost and not even a little snow bothers them much. They grow in groups - the rule is: if you find one, you'll most probably find more. Most often, you'll find more than enough.

In some parts of the world foraging is seen as a thing only hipsters do. But here in Scandinavia most people do it. It's an important part of our culture. For me mushroom hunting is almost meditative. Surrounded by woods and quietness. But actually, if you listen very carefully for a moment, you'll notice that the forest is full of sounds... You also need to focus – keep your eyes open! The mushrooms can so easily be overseen. Last Friday it was even harder than usual as the forest ground was full of fallen leaves that had exactly the same color as the mushrooms we were looking for.

And the joy when you finally spot some! It's the kind of joy one felt in childhood. The purest kind of joy. 

We came home with 3 kilos of funnel chanterelles (and some of this season's last chanterelles too!). Funnel chanterelles have a wonderful flavor. They can be easily dried for preservation. That's what I do with them. That way I can enjoy them all year round! You can find more about drying mushrooms and using them in this previous post.

The first thing I made, after we came home, was a simple but nourishing mushroom soup. There's really no better way to end a foraging day. A couple of days later I made a Flammkuchen, an Alsaser flatbread, topped with funnel chanterelles, some Black Forest ham, and goat cheese. It was so good that I wanted to share this recipe with you, dear readers. 

The base, which is slightly adapted from the delicious:days blog, is a staple in my kitchen. It works every single time. {Nicky uses bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. I'm sure the crust will turn out even better that way but since bread flour is hardly ever available here in Finland, I use all-purpose flour instead.} I recommend to use fresh yeast as baked goods rise far better with fresh than active dry yeast. The topping can of course be adapted to your liking. If you can't find Black Forest ham, use pancetta instead. Or leave the meat out completely. I wouldn't substitute the flavorful funnel chanterelles with button mushrooms as they often lack taste. However, black trumpets would be great!

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Flammkuchen with Funnel Chanterelles, Black Forest Ham & Goat Cheese

crust slightly adapted from delicious:days by Nicole Stich
yields 2 Flammkuchen, serves 4

250 g all-purpose flour
50 g rye flour
½ tsp fine sea salt
175 ml lukewarm water
15 g fresh yeast
1 tbsp olive oil

200 g crème fraîche
2 tbsp heavy cream
fine sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to season
100 g Black Forest Ham {or pancetta}, chopped
350 g (about 4 small) red onions, finely sliced
~150 g (3-4 handfuls) funnel chanterelles (or black trumpets), cleaned & the bigger ones sliced
140 g soft goat cheese

parsley, chopped, to finish
 
 
To make the dough: Combine both flours and sea salt in a bowl of a standing mixer {or a large bowl if making the dough by hand}.  Make a well in the center. Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water. Pour it into the well and add the olive oil. Knead for 3–5 minutes at medium speed. The dough is ready when it's elastic and comes clean off the sides of the bowl. Shape into a ball and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. After the dough has risen, punch it down, shape into a ball again, and let rise for further 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F) or as hot as your oven gets. If you want, you can place a baking tray at the bottom level so it gets preheated. It works like a pizza stone and ensures a perfect crust! 

To make the topping:  Combine the crème fraîche and heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper.

To arrange: Divide the dough into 2 equally sized portions and shape into a ball. Flatten the ball with your hands. Using a rolling pin, roll it out on a lightly floured surface. We want to have a thin crust! Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Evenly spread half of the crème fraîche mix on top and top with the other toppings {starting with the ham and ending with the goat cheese}.

Bake for 10–15 minutes, or until the crust has gained a golden brown color. While the first Flammkuchen is in the oven, you can arrange the other one. Remove the Flammkuchen from the oven when ready and sprinkle with some chopped parsley. Slice and serve hot or at room temperature.

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Looking for more topping ideas for flatbread? Here are some of my favorites:  

• the classic: red onion & pancetta
• a summer favorite: peach & goat cheese
• for fall: fennel & apple (and a great gluten-free flatbread crust recipe!) 
• yum: broccolini & charred lemon

We spotted some swans on our way home!

Scandinavian Carrot Bread Rolls

Riding the 7 am train to university isn’t that much fun. {Although I should add that riding the 6 am train is even less fun.} But watching the sun rise over the horizon at 8 am from behind a train window? Oh boy! The way the first rays of light hit the sky, the fields, and the woods. The world stops for awhile and suddenly everything in life seems to make total sense. 

And so I sat there, in the 7 am train, eating my carrot bread roll filled with some butter and gruyere cheese, and was totally amazed by the golden October sunrise.

I had made the carrot bread rolls the day before. Baking is one of those things that makes a home feel like home. When I was a kid, my mom used to make bread rolls topped with poppy seeds. They were my absolute favorites. I still sprinkle mine with these small pals.

This recipe is an adaption from a recipe we once got from a family friend. The curd makes them extra luscious. However, once I forgot to add the curd but they still turned out great! This is my basic bread roll recipe. I usually make it a couple of times a month. Mostly after 9 pm. There’s something about baking late at night. Or then it's just a bad habit.

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Scandinavian Carrot Bread Rolls

yields about 15 bread rolls

 
7 dl (420 g) dark wheat flour
4 dl (120 g) all-purpose flour
2 dl (120 g) rye flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
½ l lukewarm water
40 g fresh yeast
125 g quark or curd
50 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-2 carrots, coarsely grated
½ tbsp Scandinavian dark syrup {according to this site, it can be substituted by light molasses}

different seeds {like poppy seeds or sesame seeds}, to sprinkle
all-purpose flour, to dust

  
Combine all the flours and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a bowl of a standing mixer {or a large bowl if making the dough by hand}, combine the lukewarm water and crumbled yeast. Stir with a spoon until the yeast is completely dissolved. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix. When you have used up most of the flour mixture, add the butter, curd, carrots, and syrup. Mix. Add the remaining flour and knead until the dough comes together. Be sure not to overmix the dough! It will be quite sticky but that's alright. Adding more flour would yield dense bread rolls and we don't want that. Dust the dough surface with a little flour. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper. With your hands, form about 15 equally sized smooth balls. You probably need to use a lot of flour to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands while forming the rolls. Place the rolls on a baking sheets, leaving enough space between them to allow for rising. Dust them with a little flour and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise for a further 20-30 minutes.
 
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 225°C (435°F).

Lightly brush the rolls with a little water and sprinkle some seeds on top. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 10-15 minutes, or until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped underneath. They are best enjoyed while still warm but will keep for 2-3 days {although they never have survived for that long}. For a longer storage, freeze them!

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P.S. As I sit here typing, large snowflakes are falling from the gray sky. The first snow has arrived. 

Purr Therapy & Lemony Mushroom Salt

A 13-week-old black kitten has kept me busy for the last week. Lots of purring and sleeping on my lap, shoulders, and chest. {Actually it's sleeping on my lap as I'm typing these words.} Minced meat & kitten milk. Running around the apartment, and hissing at my coffee mug & a power plug {quite a smart lady, I would say}. 912 grams of pure love. 

Thanks to Elsa, life is full of wonders, laughter, and cuteness. Purr therapy, as I call it.

I woke up to a misty fall morning. For the first time this year, I realized that October has finally come. It stayed gloomy for the whole day, rain falling every now and then. A chunky wool scarf was wrapped around my neck, as I walked into the crisp fall morning. The colors are amazing these days - shades of yellow and red. In a week or two, the trees will be bare, their branches casting long shadows on the leave filled ground.

I like flavored salts a lot. They are ridiculously easy to make at home AND they are wonderful as edible gifts! The great thing is, you can make a large batch even a few weeks ahead. Find a few pretty canning jars and fill them with the homemade goodness. Don't forget to tie a ribbon around the jar and add a gift tag. The flavor combinations are endless - just use your imagination!

This fall inspired recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. I used dried funnel chanterelles which I still had from last year but any other mushroom variety like porcini or chanterelles would work too.

I think the best way to preserve mushrooms is by drying them. The easiest way to dry them is by slicing the cleaned mushrooms thinly {the thinner the slices, the faster they will dry}, spreading them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet, and drying them in a 50°C (125°F) oven. Prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon to vent steam. When completely dried {they will be hard and crispy}, remove from the oven and let cool completely. Transfer to jars and cover with lids.

When stored in a dark, cool place, they will keep for years. Before using dried mushrooms, you need to soak them in water for 15 to 30 minutes. You can use the soaking liquid as well but, depending on the mushroom variety, it often has quite a bitter taste. Dried mushrooms can be tossed into soups, sauces, pastas, risottos... This way you can enjoy mushrooms all year round!

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Lemony Mushroom Salt

recipe inspired by a mushroom salt recipe of ELLE mat och vin 7/2013, p. 60
yields about 1 dl (0.4 cups) of finishing salt

 
zest of 1 small organic lemon
1 tbsp chopped thyme
3 tbsp fleur de sel (or a flake salt like Maldon)
2 handfuls (about 10 g) of dried mushrooms (I used funnel chanterelles), finely ground 

 
Preheat the oven to 100°C (225°F).

Using a mortar and pestle, grind the lemon zest and thyme to make a green paste. Add salt and mix well. Spread the salt mixture over a parchment lined baking sheet. 
 
Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the salt is completely dried out. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Add the dried mushrooms and mix to combine. The salt should be stored in an airtight container. The intensity of flavor will diminish over time, but it can be stored for up to a year.  

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Like Gold Nuggets - Chanterelle Potato Gratin

In this week’s newspapers they were guessing the date of the first snowfall. Seriously? Calm down, everyone. It's fall. FALL! Let’s not freak out, okay? So no talking about snow, snowstorms, ice, or ice cold winds from the North Pole. Thank you. I appreciate it.

They sit on my kitchen countertop like gold nuggets. Fragile and beautiful. Only hours before they were hiding in the woods, living with their best friends, the birch trees. It's called symbiosis.

For me the chanterelle is the queen of mushrooms. They don't even need a crown - they are the crown.

I decided to make a chanterelle potato gratin. A fall favorite. I think it’s at its best as a side for a Sunday roast beef. But feel free to enjoy it at any day of the week. You won't be disappointed.

As cheese I used another royal - Västerbotten cheese. It's one of Sweden’s oldest and best-known brands. A very flavorful and versatile hard cheese.

Feel free to use any other wild mushroom or flavorful cheese variety.

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Chanterelle Potato Gratin

Adapted from Leilas guldkant på vardagen by Leila Lindholm, p. 55
Serves 4-6

1 kg (2 pounds 3.5 oz) potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced {use a mandolin if you have one}
¼ (about 140 g; 5 oz) celeriac, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic gloves, thinly sliced
4 dl (1.7 cups) light cream
1 tbsp chopped thyme
½ tbsp fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

200 g (7 oz) chanterelles, cleaned and halved/quartered {depending on the size}
butter
60 g (2 oz; 1 dl) grated cheese {I used Västerbotten cheese but a Swiss-type cheese like Emmentaler would be great too}
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Butter a 28-by-24-cm (11-by-9-inch) baking dish and set aside.

In a medium-sized pot, combine the cream, thyme, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the sliced potatoes, celeriac, onion, and garlic. Simmer for 15 minutes.

In a frying pan, sauté the chanterelles in butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the mushrooms and cheese to the potato mixture. Pour into the buttered baking dish.

Bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

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Last Day(s) of Summer - Salt Roasted New Potatoes with Dill

I'm a summer girl. No denying that. I love the blue skies and the warm summer breeze. I love how life is lived outside. I love having a barbecue night with family and friends. I love drinking my morning coffee from a paper mug at the farmers market {which I do way too seldom!}. But most of all I love the light. Oh that light! The one that can't be found anywhere else in the world. When the sun never really goes down, I think to myself "Life doesn't get better than this".

I wanted to celebrate the last day(s) of summer with the last new potatoes of the season. New potatoes are best bought at the farmers market where they most likely have seen the sunlight for the first time only a few hours before. How do you know if your new potatoes are fresh? The skin should come off easily when you rub it with your fingers. I firmly believe that the smaller the potato, the better the taste so I always dig for the tiny ones... Oh and select the dirty ones - the dirt protects them from harm. In this case dirty is beautiful.

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Salt Roasted New Potatoes with Dill
serves 2-3

500 g (1 lb) new potatoes {the smaller the better}
zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp dill, chopped {I like to simply cut it with my kitchen scissors}
olive oil

Preheat oven to 225°C (435°F).

Wash (but don't peel) potatoes and put into a roasting pan. Toss potatoes with lemon zest, sea salt and dill as well as just enough olive oil to coat the potatoes evenly.

Roast on the middle rack for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and golden brown. If the salt crust is too thick for your liking, just remove any excess salt.

Serve as a side dish for any grilled meat or fish. I enjoyed mine with a piece of warm smoked salmon and a green salad.

Note: You can of course use regular potatoes for this dish. Just try to get small ones or you will need to adjust the roasting time or even pre-boil your potatoes before roasting.

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