Stuffed pheasant sealed in a pot

The pheasant is cooked in a casserole that is sealed with huff paste.  This sealing, keeps in the flavours making them more intense than if the birds had been simply roasted.  It also ensures that the pheasant does not dry out and remains succulent.

Preparation Time: 20 Mins

Cooking Time: 1¼ Hrs

Total Time: 2 Hrs

Ingredients

For 2 servings…

80 gms            Cream cheese         

3 tbs               Herbs  - parslet, watercress, celery leaves - chopped

                     Pepper      

                     Salt          

1                    Pheasant   

½ tbs             Olive oil    

4                    Vine leaves

40 gms            Butter       

80 gms            Bacon  - cut into lardons        

½                   Onion  - chopped roughly       

80 gms            Mushrooms

40 ml              Wine  - red 

For the huff paste

230 gms          Flour        

½ tsp             Salt          

140 ml             Water  - cold          

For the sauce

½ tsp             Potato flour

40 gms            Butter  - softened     

Method

Mix the cream cheese and herbs together, season with salt and pepper and stuff the pheasant with this mixture.  Rub the bird’s skin with the olive oil then cover its breast with vine leaves and tie on with thread.

Melt the butter in a heavy casserole which will hold the pheasant, add the bacon toss and sauté it until lightly brown.  Then remove it and add the onion and whole mushrooms.  Sauté for several minutes

until just beginning to brown then return the bacon and lay the pheasant on its side on top.  Season lightly, add the wine and cover with a butter paper then seal the lid on with huff paste.  Place in a hot oven (220°C) for one hour.  Then leave to rest in the turned-off or very low oven or in a warm place for a further half hour.

To make the huff paste…

Mix the flour, salt and water to a stiff paste, knead until smooth.

To make the sauce…

Break off the huff paste.  Pour off the juices into a small pan, remove excess fat and reduce until strongly flavoured.  Thicken with a very little potato flour mixed with water and whisk in some soft butter.

Remove the vine leaves, carve the pheasant and serve with the bacon, mushrooms and sauce.

Wine recommendations

A Bordeaux-style red.

Conventional

     Haut-Médoc

Interesting

     Bourgueil

     Chinon

     Côtes de Bourg

     Irouleguy

     Saumur-Champigny