CHANTERELLE, BLACK OLIVE & GOAT CHEESE FLATBREAD

with Late-Summer Frisée

Anna and I are both pretty attached to season, climate and geography when we think about food, so it’s been an awesome coincidence to discover that the South of France feels a little like Pacific Northwest ingredients on hyperdrive - mushrooms, herbs, incredible cheeses, plus all the olives and Mediterranean flavors we don’t always get conveniently at home.

In September, summer chanterelles start to show up in the Northwest, right alongside the late-summer greens, herbs and tomatoes at the farmers markets. We get different chanterelles at different points in the year, and I love how much they can change from one season to the next. These late-summer mushrooms are one of my favorite markers of the shift toward fall, especially if you can get out and forage for them yourself. There’s something satisfying about cooking with an ingredient that is so specific to a place, a season and even the weather that particular year. It’s that brief overlap when summer is still very much around, but you can see fall coming.

That said, this flatbread came out of the abundance of the season and, of course, our Southern French inspiration. The black olive tapenade brings in the South of France, with anchovy, garlic, parsley, vinegar and plenty of olive oil. The chanterelles are sautéed simply with garlic, herbs, white wine and lemon, then paired with aged goat cheese and a light, slightly bitter frisée salad from the farmers market. It makes a great late-summer first course—savory and earthy from the mushrooms and tapenade, but still fresh and bright from the greens and vinaigrette. Please take care to use really good anchovies; it’s worth every extra penny for this one!

All that aside, chanterelles also always make me think about preserving. When I was the chef at Boat Street, I was cooking dinner after hours one night with some other Boat Street alums when a buddy showed up with a jar of amazing homemade pickled chanterelles, some cheese and charcuterie. They were delicious, and pickling chanterelles has been a go-to ever since. We’re sautéing them here, but if you come across an abundance of those beautiful little button chanterelles, a quick pickle is a great way to hang onto something so delicious and so seasonal throughout the year.

Like most things I cook, this is really a framework. If these chanterelles aren’t around, use another mushroom. If the frisée doesn’t look good, use escarole or another bitter green. Change the cheese, change the herbs, use what you have. The combination is what matters: something salty and savory, earthy mushrooms, good cheese, fresh greens and enough acid to keep the whole thing bright.

See what looks good at the market - or in the woods - and go from there. - RUSSELL FLINT


 BLACK OLIVE TAPENADE

Ingredients

  • 1 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted

  • 1 oz red wine vinegar

  • Juice of ½ lemon

  • 2 anchovy fillets

  • 2 medium garlic cloves, roughly chopped

  • ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems

  • ½ cup olive oil

  • 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper

Method

Soak the pitted olives in water for 1 hour. Drain and rinse, then cover with fresh water and soak for an additional hour. Drain well.

Combine the olives, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, anchovies, garlic, parsley, olive oil, and black pepper in a food processor. Purée until smooth.

Taste and adjust with additional vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, or black pepper as desired. The olives and anchovies provide considerable salt, so taste before adding any additional salt.

Refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the flavors to develop. Bring to room temperature before serving and adjust seasoning to taste.


FLATBREAD

Ingredients

  • 600 g bread flour

  • 390 g water, warmed to 110°F

  • 10 g active dry yeast

  • Pinch of sugar or honey

  • 5 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 2.5 g Morton kosher salt

  • 40 g olive oil

  • Additional flour, for shaping

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil, for the bowl

Method

Add the sugar or honey to the warm water and stir to dissolve. Sprinkle in the yeast and allow it to bloom for 5–7 minutes, until foamy.

Place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the bloomed yeast mixture and mix on low speed until a dough begins to form.

Add the 40 g olive oil and salt. Increase to medium speed and mix for 5–7 minutes, until the dough is smooth, homogeneous, and slightly tacky and pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add flour in small amounts. If it is too dry, add water a few drops at a time.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth and cohesive. Shape into a ball.

Coat the mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the dough, turning once to coat all sides. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly and reform into a ball.

Divide into 250 g portions and shape each portion into a ball. Dust lightly with flour, cover with a towel, and rest for at least 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen noticeably.

To Cook

Preheat the oven to 500°F with a pizza stone inside for at least 30 minutes.

Flatten and stretch each dough ball into a round or oblong flatbread.

Transfer to the hot pizza stone and bake for 2–3 minutes per side, until lightly golden and cooked through. The flatbread should remain soft and pliable rather than becoming crisp throughout.

Transfer to a cooling rack until ready to assemble.


SAUTÉED CHANTERELLES

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chanterelle mushrooms, or mushrooms of your choice

  • 2–3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

  • 1 sprig fresh thyme and/or rosemary

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil

  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

  • ¼ cup dry white wine

  • Juice of ½ lemon

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Clean the mushrooms and slice or tear larger mushrooms into bite-size pieces.

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat with the olive oil and butter. Once the butter has melted, add the mushrooms with a pinch each of salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Add the thyme and/or rosemary. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mushrooms have released their moisture and the pan is nearly dry.

Add the white wine and continue cooking until the wine has reduced and the pan is again nearly dry.

Squeeze the lemon juice over the mushrooms and toss. Remove from the heat, taste, and adjust the salt, pepper, and lemon as needed.

Set aside to cool until ready to assemble. The mushrooms may be prepared a few days in advance; taste and adjust the seasoning again before serving.


DIJON VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

  • 1 shallot, finely diced

  • ½ cup sherry vinegar

  • 1 generous pinch freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 pinch kosher salt

  • ¼ cup Dijon mustard

  • ½ cup olive oil

Method

Combine the shallot and sherry vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the salt and black pepper.

Cook until the vinegar has reduced to a thin syrup. Remove from the heat and cool completely to room temperature.

Add the Dijon mustard and olive oil and whisk vigorously until emulsified.

Taste and adjust the seasoning and acidity as needed.

The vinaigrette may be prepared up to 5 days in advance. Refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving, whisking again to emulsify if necessary.


FRISÉE SALAD

Ingredients

  • 1 large head frisée or escarole, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces

  • ½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size

  • Sautéed chanterelles

  • Dijon vinaigrette, as needed

  • Aged goat cheese, crumbled

  • Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

  • Espelette pepper, for garnish, optional



TO ASSEMBLE

Preheat the oven to 500°F with a pizza stone inside.

Spread a thin layer of black olive tapenade over each cooked flatbread and scatter with a few crumbles of aged goat cheese.

Return the flatbread to the hot pizza stone just long enough to heat it through and crisp the bottom.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Rest for 3–4 minutes.

Meanwhile, gently toss the frisée or escarole with the sautéed chanterelles, tomatoes, and enough Dijon vinaigrette to lightly dress the greens.

Pile the dressed salad over the warm flatbread. Finish with additional crumbled goat cheese, chopped parsley, and a pinch of Espelette pepper, if using.

Cut into portions and serve immediately.