Roast Pheasant And Bread Sauce Recipes

ROAST PHEASANT AND BREAD SAUCE

Steps:

• For the roasted pheasant, preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
• On a medium heat, in a ovenproof frying pan, heat the rapeseed oil and butter (if using) until foaming.
• Lay the pheasants in the pan, cook until golden-brown in colour (about 3-5 minutes) on the leg sides. Turn the pheasants onto their breast side to colour for a further 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to the oven and cook for 30 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time. To check the pheasant is correctly cooked, you can use a meat thermometer - the breast temperature for a cock pheasant should reach 63C/145F and for a hen 60C/140F. (The leg temperature should reach 80-82C/175-180F.) When cooked, set the pheasant aside in a warm place, covered, to rest.
• Spoon out the fat from the pan and add the wine, port, juniper and thyme into the roasting pan. On a high heat quickly cook until the volume of liquid has reduced by one third. Scrape the caramelised juices off the bottom of the pan to make the jus. Taste and season if necessary. Strain and reserve in a warmed jug.
• For the bread sauce, in a small saucepan on a low heat gently heat the butter and fry the onion with the herbs, crushed cloves and salt for two minutes, or until soft. Add the bacon lardons and continue to cook uncovered for one minute. Add the milk, bring to a simmer and stir in the pieces of bread until the sauce is smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• To serve, carve the pheasant and serve it over a mound of bread sauce with the jus poured over.

ROAST PHEASANT

Steps:

• Sprinkle the inside of each pheasant with salt and pepper. The breast of each pheasant should be covered with 2 slices of fatback. The birds should then be trussed, with the string anchoring the fatback neatly in place. It is probably best in most cases that this be done by the butcher.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Heat the oil in a large roasting pan and brown the pheasants lightly on all sides. Arrange them, on their sides, in the roasting pan. Place in the oven and bake 10 minutes. Turn each pheasant on its other side and continue roasting 10 minutes.
• Place the pheasants on their backs and continue roasting, basting often, about 15 minutes. Untruss the pheasants. Discard the strings and fatback. Continue roasting, with the pheasants resting on their backs, about 20 minutes or until the cavity liquid runs clear when one of the pheasants is held, tail side down, over the roasting pan.

EMERIL'S FAVORITE ROAST PHEASANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and position the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
• Season the cavities and the outside of each pheasant liberally with salt and pepper. Divide the chopped onion and carrot equally among the cavities of the pheasants. Squeeze the juice from both halves of the orange and set aside. Cut 1 of the squeezed halves into 3 pieces, and tuck inside of the cavities along with the veggies. Insert 1sprig of thyme into the cavity of each pheasant.
• Arrange the pheasants in a large roasting pan, breast sides up. Lay 2 strips of bacon over the top of each pheasant, cutting the bacon into pieces if necessary to cover as much of the pheasant as possible. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove the bacon strips and continue roasting for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear. (It is important to not overcook the pheasants, as they are very lean birds.) Remove the pheasants from the oven and transfer to a serving platter, loosely tented, while you make the sauce.
• Using a spoon, carefully remove as much extra fat from the pan as possible. Place the roasting pan over high heat and, when hot, deglaze with the reserved orange juice and Madeira, using a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. When the orange juice and Madeira have reduced by half, add the chicken stock and continue to cook until sauce has reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 to 4 minutes. Swirl in the butter and remove from the heat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Remove the back bone from each pheasant, then cut along the breast bone to divide the birds into two halves. Serve 1/2 pheasant per person, napped with some of the sauce and with some of the Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding.
• Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the onions and cook until golden brown and tender, 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the Essence, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 3/4 teaspoon of the pepper, and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender and have given off their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the beer and cook, stirring, to deglaze the pan and until the mixture is almost dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cream, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of Essence, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and whisk well to combine. Add the mushroom mixture and cheeses and stir well. Add the bread cubes and let sit until the bread has absorbed the liquid, 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with the butter. Add the bread crumbs, shaking to cover the bottom evenly. Pour the bread pudding mixture into the prepared pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour and uncover. Continue baking until risen and firm in the center, and golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before serving.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

ROAST PHEASANT STUFFED WITH CHESTNUT BREAD DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients except butter and pheasants with 1/2 cup of broth in a large bowl. Add 6 tablespoons of the butter. Stir until mixture is well combined.
• Clean the insides of the birds well with a damp cloth. Fill each bird with as much of the dressing as it will comfortably hold. Pin or stitch the cavity closed. Place the remaining dressing in a casserole. Set aside.
• Brush the remaining butter over the skin of each pheasant. Place pheasants in a large, deep roasting pan, breast side down. Cover. Roast for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, stir enough chicken broth into the remaining dressing to moisten it to your taste.
• Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Uncover. Place dressing in oven with pheasants. Roast pheasants until juices run clear when pricked with a fork in the thickest part, about 30 additional minutes. Remove pheasants and dressing from oven.
• Remove the birds from the pan. Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut each bird in half lengthwise. Serve, passing additional dressing separately.