Prep. time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 10 minutes

I perfected this recipe for a banquet in honor of Belgian King Baudouin I. It's a light and refined dish that uses local products. 

To enhance the flavors, you could serve some sautéed wild mushrooms with it. If you're serving the dish on its own, poach the chicken legs as well and serve with the same garnish.

Preparation (60 minutes)

1. Peel the white asparagus and remove the tough ends. Cook them in salted water until still crisp and drain. Keep the peelings. 
2. Place the chicken stock in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus peelings and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve the stock. 
3. Cut off the chicken legs , reserving them for another use. Remove the wings and skin them. Remove the bone from the drumette. Lay out flat on a work surface
4. skin side down with the wing tip towards you. Using a small sharp knife, butterfly the wings making a small incision and season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove 8-9 cm (3-4") of the asparagus tips and place 3 on each wing, letting the tips extend by 2-3 cm (1") or so. Reform the wings and tie up. 
5. Cut the carrots, leek and celery into thin julienne strips.
6. In a medium saucepan, melt 30 g (1 oz.) butter, add the julienne vegetables and sweat for 3 minutes. Add 200 ml (3/4 cup) chicken stock (step 2) and bring to a boil. Cook, leaving the vegetables slightly crisp. Drain and set aside. Return the cooking juice to the saucepan, bring back to a boil, reduce by one-third and whisk in the remaining butter. Return the julienne vegetables to the sauce, season with salt and pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Keep hot. 

Finishing (10 minutes)

1. Bring the remaining stock (step 2) to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, add the chicken wings and poach for 5 minutes without overcooking them. 
2. Meanwhile, reheat the cress mousse. 
3. Drain the chicken wings, remove the string and place the wings in the center of 4 large hot plates with the asparagus tips at the top in a bouquet. Spoon the sauce over top and accompany with the cress mousse. Serve immediately. 

 I suggest a Condrieu, red Graves or Meursault 1er cru.