Chanterelles and Shiitakes with Creamy Stone Ground Grits

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine the milk, 1 cup of the chicken stock, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons of butter. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil. Stir in the grits. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (**The grits will stick to the bottom of the pan, so make sure not to scrape the bottom of the pan. If the grits absorb all of the liquid, add hot water as necessary to thin out the grits.) Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 2 additional tablespoons of the butter. (The grits can either be served immediately or prepared in advance and reheated. If preparing in advance, grease a pan with a teaspoon of butter. Pour the grits into the pan and reheat in a preheated 400 degree F oven until heated through, about 15 minutes.)

Melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; saute until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add shallot and garlic; saute 2 minutes longer. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Repeat this process until all of the mushrooms have been cooked. (Mushrooms should be cooked in 2 batches using another tablespoon of butter.) Then return all of the mushrooms to the pan. Add red wine, Madeira, remaining chicken stock and thyme and reduce until almost all of the liquid is gone. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve the mushrooms over the grits in a small shallow bowl. Drizzle with the chive oil.

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the chives and blanch for 10 seconds. Drain and transfer to an ice bath. Remove and pat dry on paper towels, squeezing to remove as much of the excess water as possible. Roughly chop and transfer to a blender. With the machine running, add the oil and salt through the feed tube and process until smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate overnight. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing against the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much oil as possible. Transfer to a squeeze bottle and refrigerate until needed, up to 2 weeks. (Bring to room temperature before using).

Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 10 minutes Yield: Makes about 1/2 cup