I’m married to a man who gets between two and three hundred emails a day. And between my work and personal correspondence, I get a fair amount myself. I do a pretty solid job of staying on top of it, but a few weeks ago, while project managing some renovations at the Art Farm, I stopped checking email for a week so I could focus fully on the project.

And it was wonderful.

I figured, if someone really needed me, they’d call. And I was right. My best friend, Connie, who lives in Maryland—the one with whom I sit in a car at the Atlanta airport and drink mint tea—called to say she was coming to visit. We have a yearly ritual of going to Bacchanalia, just the two of us, and indulging in whatever the kitchen sends to our table.

In-between the cured eggs, cured meats on lavash and beef tartare, we talk for hours, only stopping to comment on a truly exquisite bite. Of course, we’re at Anne Quatrano’s restaurant, so this happens often. A few of the dishes, like these preserved chanterelle mushrooms, were so delicious that we agreed we could never take another bite of anything and be happy.

And then we’d eat some more, letting email, texts and life in general wait while two old friends catch up on each other’s lives.

Preserved Chanterelle Mushrooms

• From Summerland: Recipes for Celebrating with Southern Hospitality by Anne Stiles Quatrano

• Makes 2 quart jars or 4 pint jars

• 2 pounds chanterelle mushrooms
• 4 cups extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• ½ cup dry sherry wine

With a paring knife, trim the mushroom ends and scrape the stems, removing the outer layer of skin. Wash the mushrooms three times in cold, clear water, gently tossing so as not to bruise the flesh. Allow to air dry thoroughly on paper towels; if possible, place them in front of a table fan to speed up the drying process. Cut the dry mushrooms lengthwise into quarters, or sixths if they are large.

In a large (preferably 14-inch) sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until lightly smoking. Add one-fourth of the mushrooms and cook until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat, adding another 2 tablespoons oil and another one-fourth of the mushrooms to the pan. Repeat two more times to sauté all the mushrooms. Place the hot, drained mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Add the shallots and garlic to the hot skillet you cooked the mushrooms in, reduce the heat to low, and sweat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Return the mushrooms to the pan and add the thyme and bay leaf. Add the vinegar, scraping up any browned bits, then add the wine and toss to coat the mushrooms. Cook until the liquid has been absorbed by the mushrooms, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining oil (about 3 ½ cups) to cover the mushrooms. Heat the oil to 145 degrees F, or until just hot to the touch. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Spoon the mushrooms and oil into quart or pint jars, cover and refrigerate. They will be best after standing for a day and will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.