Poulet Saute aux Girolles

Another cloudy and rather chilly day...I spent the morning digging drainage for the garden. We still haven't been able to get it cultivated because of all the ground water.
I made the rather disappointing discovery that during the night, slugs had eaten half the lettuce. Still, in spite of the unseasonable gloom, the first raspberries were turning red. This is going to be my biggest raspberry haul yet. In celebration, Janet thawed out some of last years and a package of rhubarb and made a crumble.
I decided to make the main course, I thawed some chicken legs and duuring the late afternoon, I went on a walk in the woods with J.J., the dog.
I was sure that the girolles were over. Luckily, I had a plastic bag in my pocket...
I suddenly was aware of hints of gold beneath the leaf litter and in no time, I had managed to find another kilo of very nice girolles.
On the way home, the wheels began to turn and here is what I made for dinner.

Poulet Saute aux Girolles

Take a cut up chicken, or as I did today, chicken legs and thighs cut up and fry them in a pot which you can cover and put in the oven. I lightly salted them. Fry them in oil and a little butter and let them get golden.
Cover the pan and put it into a 220 degree oven for 20 minutes or so. When they are done, take the pan out of the oven, remove the chicken pieces and keep them warm.
You can pour off some of the grease if there is too much, but you will need some to saute 500 grams of girolles and a chopped shallot on the stove top. Cook them quickly. The girolles will give off a bit of liquid. Make sure to scrape the pan as the girolles cook to get the crusty chicken bits off the bottom and incorporate it into the liquid.
When the liquid almost evaporates, add a splash of cognac or armagnac and flame it.
When the flame is out, only a few seconds of terror...add 30 cl of cream and stir over the heat until the cream thickens. This only takes a few short minutes.
Put the chicken back in the pot and coat with the sauce and serve!
This is really good with Pureed potaotes.

You can saute chicken breasts with out putting them into the oven and do basicly the same sauce on the stove top.
You could use regular mushrooms, but girolles are especially good like this and a rare seasonal treat!