The aroma of the morel is sealed in this Chicken Poularde dish, thanks to the puff pastry. Prepare the dish in advance and place in a hot oven 20 minutes before serving.

Make the sauce: If using dried morels, soak them in a cup of cold water for at least 30 minutes. In a medium-size skillet, sauté the mushrooms and shallot in butter,
over medium to high heat, for approximately 4 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly and deglaze with white wine. Cook until the liquid reduces by half. Add the veal, stock, cream, salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce bubble gently for a few minutes until it reaches the desired consistency. If it's too thick, add more stock. If too thin, let it boil till desired consistency is obtained.

Prepare the chicken: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Heat vegetable oil in a medium pan on high heat. Add the chicken breasts with skin side down, season with salt and pepper and brown the meat on both sides. Transfer the breasts in a 6 inch wide ramekin or 5 cups soufflé mold. Discard any remaining fat from pan, and deglaze the pan with ¼ cup of water. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden flat spatula to dissolve all flavors, add juice to the morel sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken breast in the baking dish.

Prepare the puff pastry: Make the egg wash by mixing egg yolk and water with a fork. Roll the dough to ¼ inch thick; cut a circle 2 inches larger than the baking dish. Place dough on a tray and refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until the dough is cold. Brush the dough with egg wash, using a fork make a cross pattern all over the dough on one side. Brush egg, wash outside the rim of the baking dish and place the dough on the top, sealing the dough all around the sides of the dish. Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F in preheated oven and 15 minutes at 400°F until the dough reaches a nice golden brown color. Serve immediately.

Cooking hints: Cut morels in half to check for insects. Wash carefully. Morels can be breaded and fried, stewed, baked, creamed or stuffed with dressing. Their delicate flavor is brought out best by sautéing them in butter for about five minutes on each side.

Chef, tell me more about morels: Morels are very delicious wild mushrooms, found mostly in Missouri and Alaska. They are very popular and easy to recognize. The surface of a morel is covered with define pits and ridges, and the bottom edge of the cap is attached directly to the stem. Size: 2 inch to 12 inches tall.