Roast Pheasant And Bread Sauce Recipe - BBC Food

Roast pheasant and bread sauceAn average of 4.6 out of 5 stars from 17 ratings1 star2 stars3 stars4 stars5 stars4.6 | 17 ratingsRate this recipeclose panelRate this recipe1 star2 stars3 stars4 stars5 starsRateSave to My FoodPrepareless than 30 minsCook1 to 2 hoursServeServes 4DietaryEgg-freeNut-free

Try to order your pheasants from a butcher that has hung them for a minimum of 6-7 days. Look for a rich, soft and fruity wine to serve - say a Pinot Noir from the Côte de Nuits, or one of the very good wines from Oregon.

By Raymond Blanc

From Raymond Blanc: How to Cook Well

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Ingredients

For the roasted pheasant

• 2 pheasants (800-900g/1lb 12oz-2lb each), oven-ready, preferably hen pheasants
• 50ml/2fl oz rapeseed oil (or other non-scented oil)
• 20g/¾oz unsalted butter (optional)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pheasant jus

• 100ml/3½fl oz red wine
• 50ml/1¾fl oz ruby port
• 2 crushed juniper berries
• 1 sprig fresh thyme

For the bread sauce

• 10g/¼oz unsalted butter
• 50g/1¾oz white onion, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 2 cloves, crushed
• 2 pinches salt
• 10g/¼oz small bacon lardons
• 150ml/5fl oz full-fat milk
• 1 slice white bread, broken into pieces

Method

1. For the roasted pheasant, preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

2. On a medium heat, in a ovenproof frying pan, heat the rapeseed oil and butter (if using) until foaming.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. To serve, carve the pheasant and serve it over a mound of bread sauce with the jus poured over.

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This recipe is from...

Raymond Blanc: How to Cook Well. 3. Roasting on BBC TwoRaymond Blanc: How to Cook Well

3. RoastingRaymond Blanc believes becoming a good cook is all about mastering the basic techniques. Each episode he takes a cooking technique and shows how it can be used.BBC Two