Dancing Mushroom Sauce

I bought these Hen of The Woods mushrooms at farmer's market last week. They grow locally here and can reach 40 to 50 pounds each-They are found in the forest around Oak trees. They don't seem to have the following that our Spring mushroom the Morel has. They are much revered in Japanese cooking where they are known as Maitake-Maitake translated to dancing mushroom, because the way they grow resembles a dance chorus. They are slightly nutty and earthy in flavor, and they also hold their shape after being sauteed or simmered in a sauce. They retain a firm bite after being cooked, which adds a nice texture to the sauce. I served the sauce with a roast chicken and stuffing.

Since I had a big juicy roasting hen, I made a chicken stock with the neck and giblets. I included the neck meat and diced giblets in the sauce.

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup cream

2 tablespoons minced shallot

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 pound fresh Hen of the Woods mushrooms

2 tablespoons butter

Reserved cooked neck meat and diced giblets.

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh minced parsley

In a sauce pan, saute the mushrooms, onion, and garlic in the butter for about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the stock and wine, reduce by half

Add the cream and continue to reduce until you reach sauce consistency.

Fold in the reserved neck meat and giblets.

Tastte for salt and pepper and add fresh minced parsley.