Pheasant breasts with creamed mushrooms

This pheasant recipe uses only the breasts and, unusually, these are beaten out to be flat.  This dramatically reduces the cooking time and helps them not to become dry.  It can also enhance the flavour.

The rest of the pheasant can be roasted and served as part of a salad, to make soup or added to the stock pot.

Preparation Time: 20 Mins

Cooking Time: 15 Mins

Total Time: 35 Mins

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

4                    Pheasant breasts      

  Olive oil         

For the mushroom sauce

30 gms            Butter       

2                    Shallots  - chopped finely        

2 cloves            Garlic  - crushed      

250 gms           Mushrooms  - cultivated or wild, chopped roughly  

150 ml             Cream  - double       

1 tbs               Parsley  - chopped    

Method

To prepare and cook the pheasant…

Between two sheets of cling film or parchment paper, beat each pheasant breast until they are flattened and about ½ cm thick.

Season the pheasant breasts and cook in a ribbed griddle or heavy frying pan over a high heat (in batches if necessary) for 1½ minutes on each side.

To make the mushroom sauce…

Melt the butter in a pan set over a medium heat.  Add the shallots, garlic and mushrooms to the melted

butter and cook for a couple of minutes without colouring, stirring continuously.

Pour in the cream and add the chopped parsley.

Season and simmer gently for a couple of minutes, until the cream has reduced slightly and is just coating the mushrooms.  Remove from the heat and cover until needed.

To serve…

Divide the sauce between four plates and place the pheasant on top.

Wine recommendations

          A Bordeaux-style red wine.

  Conventional

           Côtes de Bourg

  Interesting

           Chinon

           Côtes de Gascogne rouge

           Irouleguy

           Saumur-Champigny