Morels

Import. When mushroom lovers dream of spring, it is only for the morels. They are odd brown little things with distinctive fleshy droopy caps patterned with raised honeycomb ridges. Clean fresh ones by pouring boiling water over them and leaving for 40 minutes so all the grit drops out. Best stewed in butter for a few minutes, with their juices then thickened with crème fraîche or double cream and sharpened with a heavy-bodied white wine (such as a vin jaune from the Jura or an Alsatian Gewürztraminer). Dried, canned and jarred morels can also be excellent.