CHICKEN BREASTS BAKED ON A BED OF WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour it over the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and let stand for 2 hours. Meanwhile, trim stems from the fresh mushrooms and save stems for another use, or discard. Wipe mushroom caps with a damp paper towel and slice thin. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the shallots and saute gently for 5 minutes without browning. Meanwhile, drain the dried mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and chop them fine. Add dried mushrooms and sliced fresh mushrooms to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 325°. Add reserved soaking liquid, the Port and heavy cream to the skillet with the mushrooms and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Spoon mushroom mixture into a shallow baking dish. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer on top of the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover the baking dish tightly with a piece of foil. Set dish on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until chicken breasts are done. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately. NOTE: I have prepared this dish ahead of time and refrigerated it. Then I just cooked it about 10-15 minutes longer to account for the chill from the refrigerator.