Chicken Legs Stuffed with Morels and Steamed (Et Farci aux Morilles)

• 14 dried black mushrooms, preferably morels, available where fine imported foods are sold
• 4 chicken legs with thighs attached, about 1/2 pound each
• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, about 1/4 pound
• Salt to taste if desired
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons fresh or canned chicken broth
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3 chicken livers, about 1/3 pound, split in two, connecting membranes and fibers removed
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup Brown Chicken Base (see recipe)

1. Put dried mushrooms in small bowl and add warm water to cover.
2. Let stand 30 minutes or longer until thoroughly softened.
3. Drain.
4. Squeeze mushrooms to extract excess liquid.
5. Chop coarsely and set aside.
6. Do not separate legs from thighs.
7. Using paring or boning knife, carefully cut down to bone of each thigh.
8. Do not cut through skin.
9. Starting at top of each thigh, cut and scrape flesh from bone, working downward as neatly as possible; leave bone bare.
10. Work down around leg bone, scraping almost to bottom of it.
11. Leave leg bone tip - 1/2 inch or slightly more - intact.
12. As legs and thighs are boned, set aside, skin side out.
13. Cut chicken breast into thin slices.
14. Stack slices and cut into very small, thin strips.
15. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
16. Heat one tablespoon of butter in small skillet and add shallots, stirring.
17. Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring to separate pieces, about 2 minutes or until meat loses raw look.
18. Add fresh and dried mushrooms.
19. Stir.
20. Add chicken broth and cook about 30 seconds, stirring.
21. Scrape mixture into mixing bowl.
22. Add beaten egg to filling and blend well.
23. Set aside.
24. Meanwhile, heat remaining one tablespoon of butter and add chicken livers.
25. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
26. Cook over high heat, stirring, about 2 minutes or until the livers lose raw look.
27. Add 1/2 cup of cream and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.
28. Set aside.
29. Remove and chop 2 of chicken liver pieces.
30. Add to filling and stir.
31. Place boned chicken legs skin side down on flat surface.
32. Sprinkle interior with salt and pepper.
33. Use small amount of filling at a time and stuff chicken legs, pushing filling down compactly into boned legs.
34. Fill legs compactly at center, folding boned thighs over to enclose filling.
35. Lay out 4 large squares of plastic wrap, a square at a time.
36. Wrap filled legs and thighs to enclose filling.
37. As each piece is wrapped, fold wrapping tightly to keep stuffed pieces intact.
38. Arrange bundles in one layer in top of steamer rack and set aside.
39. Combine brown chicken base and remaining cup of cream and bring to boil.
40. Cook down over high heat until reduced to about one cup of sauce.
41. Pour into container of electric blender (food processor will not work as well).
42. Add remaining chicken liver pieces plus cream in which they cooked.
43. Blend on high speed to make smooth as possible.
44. Pour sauce into small saucepan.
45. Place stuffed chicken legs in their rack onto steamer filled half full with water.
46. Cover steamer rack closely and let stuffed chicken legs stand over boiling water about 20 minutes or until done.
47. Carefully remove stuffed legs, one at a time, from the plastic wrap.
48. Spoon a little sauce onto center of each of 4 hot serving plates and place chicken leg in center.
49. Or serve sauce spooned over chicken legs.
50. Serve remaining sauce separately.

black mushrooms, chicken, skinless, salt, freshly ground pepper, butter, shallots, fresh mushrooms, chicken broth, egg, chicken livers, heavy cream, brown chicken

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/5032 (may not work)