Recipe - Chicken With Morels

1 Free range chicken; about 3
One half pounds
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
2 tablespoon Unsalted butter
1 One half cup Chardonnay or meursault
6 Cloves garlic; unpeeled
1 Bouquet garni; (with a few
parsley stems, sprig of
fresh thyme, sprig of fresh
tarragon, and a scrap of
bay leaf)
2 ounce Dried morels or 4 ounces
trimmed fresh morels
2/3 cup Homemade chicken stock; up
to 1
1 cup Heavy cream
Roux; recipe follows

Garnish:

Sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season the cavity and breast of the chicken with salt and pepper. Smear the
butter over the breast and legs. Put into a flameproof casserole with the
wine, unpeeled garlic, and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil on top of the
stove, then cover and transfer to the preheated oven to cook for 1 One fourth to 1
One half hours, depending on the size of the chicken. If the morels are dried,
cover with boiling chicken stock and let soak for 1 hour.

As soon as the chicken is cooked (the internal temperature should be at
least 170 degrees), transfer to a carving dish and keep warm. Skim the fat
from the pan juices with a metal spoon, and remove the garlic and bouquet
garni. Add the cream, bring to a boil, and thicken by reduction, or better
still, whisk in just a little roux. If the morels are fresh, wash them
carefully to remove all traces of grit or soil. Melt a little butter in a
hot pan, and toss the morels gently for 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt
and pepper. Add the morels and their soaking liquid, if using dried ones,
to the sauce. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, carve the chicken and
arrange on a serving dish. Taste the sauce and season in necessary. Spoon
the sauce over the chicken and divide the morels equally among each
helping. Garnish simply with a little flat leaf parsley and serve
immediately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Notes: Recipe courtesy of Darina Allen, "Ballymaloe Seasons"

Recipe by: Cooking Live Show #CL9087

Posted to MCRecipe Digest by "Angele and Jon Freeman"
jfreeman@comteck.com on Apr 4, 1998