Poached Chicken Breasts with Morel Mushrooms, Cream and Parsley

Start by soaking the morels or chanterelles.

Place them in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and leave them aside to soak for 30 minutes. After that, strain them in a sieve and squeeze them to get rid of any surplus water. (You can reserve the soaking water, which can be frozen and is great for soups.)

Now pre-heat the oven to a low setting, ready to keep the chicken warm later. Next, in a large saucepan bring the wine up to simmering point, then add the chicken breasts, together with some salt and freshly milled pepper. Bring back up to simmering point, put a lid on, and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Then remove the chicken and keep it warm, covered, in a low oven.

Now boil the cooking liquid quite fast (without a lid) until it has reduced in volume by about a half, adding the fresh and dried mushrooms towards the end of this time, then remove the pan from the heat. Next, in a small basin, beat together the egg yolks and cream, and mix a couple of tablespoons of the hot cooking liquid into the egg mixture, then pour the whole mixture back in to join the rest in the saucepan. Return the pan to a low heat and, stirring all the time, re-heat it until it thickens. Don't, whatever you do, let it come to the boil or it will separate! As soon as it has thickened, stir in the parsley and pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken and serve with roasted butternut squash.