To clean fresh morels, dunk them into a bowl of cold water; drain them on a clean kitchen towel. You can substitute 8 dried morels for the fresh: Cover with hot water in a medium bowl. Set a small bowl on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged. Let the mushrooms stand until soft, about 20 minutes, then lift them out of the water. Using paper towels, gently press out excess liquid, and let the mushrooms drain on a clean kitchen towel.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for dishes

　　1 small shallot, finely chopped

　　8 fresh morel mushrooms (about 1 cup), halved lengthwise

　　Coarse salt

　　1 cup heavy cream

　　4 large eggs

　　Freshly ground pepper

　　1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

　　Crusty bread, for serving

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallot. Cook, stirring constantly, until shallot has softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes. Add cream; bring to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat, and let mushroom mixture cool 5 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Butter four 6-inch shallow baking dishes (such as gratin dishes). Place dishes on a rimmed baking sheet. Crack 1 egg into each baking dish, keeping yolks intact, and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mushroom-cream mixture into dishes, dividing evenly, and sprinkle with chives. Bake on baking sheet until the egg whites are just set, 9 to 12 minutes. Serve with bread, for dipping.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group.Buy the full book from Amazon.