After a quick persual of the chanterelle harvesting video’s on youtube, I am embarrassed to even name my video “Chanterelle Hunting.” All those videos of plate-sized chanterelles that weigh a pound a piece being picked on flat forest land devoid of biting mosquitos, rocks, spiderwebs, and leeches seem like heaven to me. I should have named mine, “Chanterelle Garbage-Picking.” luckily, I’m old enough to know it’s not quantity that makes a great product, but attitude. After all, there is always someone bigger and better, (I learned this after regularly showering with 80 guys in the Navy.)

This pizza is made with small, gnarly chantrelles picked from a rocky forested benches in the oft-forgotten waistlands of Southeast Ohio but it does have a certain attitude…and it was delicious.

Manchego is a perfect cheese to pair with the apricot-intense chanterelle and some fabulous first cold-pressed olive oil from a single vineyard called Munoz Aceites. The spice of the szechuan peppercorns cut through the sour fruit of cheese and mushroom in a lemony presence that also enhances the creamy egg. The Quince spread adds a fun element to all this creamy, spice and sour seriousness. Chanterelle mushroom pizzas rock!

Here is the pie recipe.

One seven ounce dough ball from the Easy Dough Recipe on this blog.

3.5 ounces of imported Manchego cheese shredded

a swirl of Spanish extra virgin olive oil

One tablespoon of Szechuan peppercorns

Seven roasted garlic cloves

All the chanterelles that you found in that hot, spider-infested forest, cut in half

One egg

Two tablespoons (in dollops) of Dalmation Quince spread or jam.

Preheat the oven to 495 degrees with either a heavy upturned cookie sheet on the middle shelf or a pizza stone.

Cut or grate the manchego cheese into smaller size matchsticks then smash the Szechuan peppercorns with knife. Slice the roasted garlic cloves into small slices then slice the cleaned chanterelles in half.

Bang out the dough ball to an eleven inch pizza disc and place on some parchment. You can use a pizza screen for easier delivery also. Add the manchego, the garlic slivers, the peppercorns then the olive oil.

Place the chanterelles on the pizza and bake for seven or eight minutes until the crust just starts to brown.

Crack the egg in the center of the partially baked pizza then put back into the oven for five to seven more minutes until the egg white is cooked and the egg yolk is still runny.

 Place dollops of the jam on the pizza and enjoy!