Cassolette Of Morels, Fiddleheads And Asparagus

• 4 cups small fresh morels or 2 ounces dried
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup heavy cream (see note)
• 13 cup Madeira
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 6 ounces thin asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces, about 1 1/2 cups cut pieces
• 6 ounces fresh fiddlehead ferns, cleaned of brown leaves, about 1 1/2 cups
• 1/2 cup fresh white bread crumbs
• 13 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 13 cup freshly grated Swiss cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1. If using dried morels, put the mushrooms into a small saucepan with three cups of water and bring to a boil.
2. Turn off heat and let the mushrooms steep in the hot water for one hour.
3. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid, and rinse under running water to remove all residual sand and dirt.
4. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, and reserve for another recipe that calls for chopped mushrooms.
5. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet and add the mushrooms and shallots; stir and saute for about eight minutes.
6. Add the garlic and saute for two more minutes.
7. Add the cream, Madeira, salt and pepper (and a half cup of the mushroom-soaking liquid, if using dried morels) and simmer over medium-low heat for five minutes.
8. If using fresh morels, at this point you should remove the mushrooms from the sauce and reduce the liquid in the skillet for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid coats the back of a spoon; then stir the mushrooms back into the sauce.
9. If using dried morels, reduce the liquid without removing the mushrooms.
10. Blanch the asparagus and fiddleheads in boiling salted water for three minutes.
11. Drain and rinse with cold running water to stop the cooking, then drain well.
12. To make seasoned crumbs, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Swiss cheese, basil and thyme and mix thoroughly.
13. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
14. To assemble the dish, divide the blanched asparagus and fiddleheads among six small heat-proof casseroles.
15. Spoon equal-size portions of the morel-cream over the asparagus and fiddleheads and top with the seasoned crumbs.
16. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, and, if desired, place under a broiler until the top is light brown.
17. Serve immediately.

fresh morels, unsalted butter, shallots, garlic, heavy cream, madeira, salt, thin, fiddlehead ferns, fresh white bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, swiss cheese, fresh basil, thyme

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/8364 (may not work)