The Girolle (or Chanterelle) season in Europe runs from late summer until late autumn. It’s a much-loved mushroom, especially the golden (common) girolle, but let’s not forget the chanterelle jaune, the chanterelle grise and the trompette de la mort. The common girolle remains tender and somewhat meaty when cooked, which makes it ideal when thinking of a rich sauce. You will taste delicate nutty, buttery and earthy flavours. Delicious when combined with the gentle flavours of guineafowl. The sauce we made is fairly simple: it’s all about enhancing the texture and the flavours of the mushroom. The parsley will bring a freshness and bitterness to the sauce.

Guineafowl meat is leaner, somewhat darker and more flavourful compared to chicken. It is not difficult to prepare, but due to the low-fat content you must be careful not to overcook. In this recipe we use guineafowl supreme (the breast fillet with the skin on plus the wing bone) which is perhaps the tastiest part of the guineafowl. 

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed a glass of Le Jardin de Fleur La Mothe made by Château Fleur la Mothe with merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes. An affordable wine from the French Médoc region. The wine has a beautiful deep red colour, the tannins are balanced and the fruit nicely present, both in the aroma and the flavour. In general, we suggest a smooth, medium bodied red wine with fruity aromas. 

What You Need

• For the Guineafowl
  • 2 Guineafowl Supremes
  • Pancetta
  • Olive Oil
• For the Sauce
  • 150 grams of Golden Girolle
  • One small Shallot
  • One small Garlic Clove
  • Double Cream
  • Crème Fraîche
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Vegetable Stock
  • Parsley
  • Butter
  • Black Pepper

What You Do

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 °C or 355 °F
2. Thinly slice the pancetta
3. Open the supreme, add pancetta and then close the supreme, using kitchen twine
4. Fry the supreme in olive oil in a heavy iron skillet until golden
5. Transfer the skillet to the oven. The internal temperature of the meat should be minimum 70°C or 160°F.
6. Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper.
7. Halve or quarter the mushrooms, depending on the size
8. Finely chop the shallot and the garlic.
9. When the guineafowl is ready, transfer the pan to your kitchen top, cover the meat with aluminium foil and allow to rest. This way the meat will be moist and not over-cooked.
10. Now it’s time to prepare the sauce. Add butter to a warm pan, add the shallot, gently fry for a few minutes, add the girolles, fry, reduce heat, add the garlic.
11. After a few minutes add the vegetable stock. Stir.
12. After a few minutes add double cream, crème fraîche and some Dijon mustard.
13. Stir well and create a thick creamy sauce. Taste and add some black pepper.
14. wo minutes before serving add the parsley.
15. Slice the guineafowl and serve 3 or 4 slices on top of the sauce.

PS

More mushroom recipes on our mushroom page.