Cooking : 1 hour

Cooked gently in a salt crust that concentrates its aromas, the chicken is succulent and flavorful.

Preparing the chicken

1. Mix the salt, flour and water together in a bowl - the amount of water depends on the flour. The dough should be smooth and come away from your fingers easily. Divide into two pieces.
2. Roll out one part to a thickness of 3-4 mm (1/8") and place it on a baking sheet.
3. Place the chicken on thedough and season with parsley, rosemary and lemon rind.
4. Roll out the rest of the dough and place over the chicken, pressing the edges well to seal. The chicken should be firmly encased in order to steam it. Cut off the excess dough or crimp the edges attractively if you wish to serve it at the table.
5. Bake at 200° C (400° F) for about 60 minutes. Remove from the oven

Making the spring cabbage gratin

1. Mix the mustard, egg yolk and cream together and season it with salt.
2. Cut the cabbage into four pieces, lengthwise, and remove the stalk, then cut the cabbage into smaller pieces ; cook 2-3 minutes in salted water and remove to a bowl of iced water.
3. When the cabbage is cold, drain it and squeeze it dry. Mix it with salt and pepper in a bowl and then press the cabbage into eight 3 cm high dariole moulds of about 5 cm in diameter.
4. Just before serving, heat the gratins in the oven at about 150 degrees for 10 minutes.
5. Finally, place a tablespoon of the mustard cream on top of each portion and broil until they are lightly golden in colour. Remove from the moulds and arrange on dishes with the chicken.

Sauce

1. Soak the morels in water for 3-4 hours. 
2. Drain; cut into 4-5 pieces; sauté in a skillet in a little butter with the finely chopped garlic, shallot and white mushroom.
3. Add the red wine and Madeira; reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper.