this type about 20 years ago, I had arrived at the false conclusion they were some sort of “candy cap.” So, I tried them out and found them to be quite tasty. Eventually, I think it was probably Ray Fatto who IDed a sample for me at the New Jersey Fungus Festival. I was surprised to see that Phillips states they are “mildly poisonous.” I kept eating them (maybe one or two times per year) having convinced myself that the variety I was finding were maybe a little different than the ones in Phillips et al, as the odor of my collections was consistently more appealing than “burnt sugar” or “curry powder.” I used to saute them and then put into macaroni and cheese casserole; the maple like flavor spread out nicely. Then, one time maybe 15 years back a friend and I enjoyed such a meal, but each of us became somewhat ill within the hour… same symptom, a stomach ache that passed in about an hour. I have not since eaten any.
Then I got my copy of B/B/F and they include “maple sugar” as one description of the odor. They also state “edible and quite good”…. !!!
Moral of story… If you want to impress someone with your mushroom cooking abilities, stick with the chanterelles.
