Asparagus with Morels and Puff Pastry

For the pastry: Peel white asparagus thoroughly and cut off the woody ends. Peel the lower third of the green asparagus and also cut off the ends. Cook white asparagus in boiling salted water for about 18 minutes, and the green asparagus about 12 minutes.

From the puff pastry sheets, cut two 8 x 12 cm (approximately 3 x 5 inch) rectangles. Cut the remaining puff pastry into strips about 1 cm (approximately 1/3 inch) wide. Brush the rectangles with beaten egg and lay the strips on the outer edge of the dough. Prick the centers with a fork 3 to 4 times and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven (180°C) (approximately 350°F) for about 15 minutes.

Swish the morels gently in a pan of water to rinse, then trim stems. Sauté the finely chopped shallot and morel stems in 1 tablespoon butter, deglaze with white wine and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Add veal stock and cream, stir until cramy and bring to a boil, then strain through a fine sieve and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Saute morels in remaining butter and season with salt and pepper. Whip the cream until stiff and fold with the morels into the sauce.