6 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

STUFFING MIXTURE:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 tsp. finely chopped onions or shallots
1/2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
4 to 6 oz. chopped crab meat
2 to 3 oz. dried strongly flavored mushrooms (morels, porcini, horn of plenty, shiitake, etc.)
1/2 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350°F. Warm the white wine in a saucepan or in the microwave; add the finely chopped dried mushrooms and allow to reconstitute for 5 to 10 minutes.

Combine all stuffing mixture ingredients, including mushrooms and the wine and mix thoroughly. The mixture should be a stiff paste. If too thin, add more cream cheese until stiff.

Pound the chicken breasts with a kitchen tenderizing hammer until they become about one quarter-inch thick, being careful not to put holes in the meat. Each breast should be about 6 to 7-inches long and 4 to 5-inches wide.

Add a quarter-inch layer of the stuffing mixture over the entire pounded breast and roll as tightly as possible. Secure the roll with a toothpick or, preferably, with a bamboo skewer cut to a suitable length.

Place the roulade into a well-greased glass casserole dish and bake, covered, at 350°F for about 30 minutes. Remove the covering and place under broiler to brown slightly before serving.

These can be served as they come out of the oven or covered with a white sauce made from butter, flour and cream to which has been added another 2 to 3 ounces finely chopped dried mushrooms and 1/2 sauteéd onion.

Note: If dried mushrooms are not available, fresh mushrooms can be substituted but should be thoroughly sauteéd in butter or olive oil and the wine, preferably with about 2 to 3 teaspoons chopped onion, prior to being added to the stuffing mixture. Strongly flavored mushrooms work best in this dish, but the mushrooms available at the supermarket will work if that is all that is available.

Serves 6 to 8.