Pheasant Casserole

Clarieloo

OH's boss goes shooting and sometimes brings various birds back to the office which my OH brings home for me to do something with. A few months ago we had a pheasant which had already been hanging for 3 days. We cooked it two days later in the slow cooker with red wine, veg etc but it was dry as anything to the point of being bitter and rubbery.

Now we have another one (currently in the freezer but I understand was hung for 3-5 days) and I would like to have another go - does anyone have any ideas of how to make it less dry and more tasty?

mlz1413

I've got a slow cooker receipe that wraps it in pancetta, will dig out tonight and post for you later/tomorrow.

spike7451

Pheasant in Port.This recipie from my mate PE4Rocks

This is no quickie but..;

4 oz sliced Mushrooms
into a pan with
1/4 pint of port(tawny not vintage)
Simmer for 10 mins.

8 oz of chicken livers gently fried in a butter, then pureed with your weapon of choice

Drain mushrooms (reserve the port!) and mix with chicken liver puree.

Use mixture to stuff pheasant.

Place bird in basin/bowl cover with fresh port.

Cover bowl/basin with clingfilm/foil and place in fridge for 2/3 days. Turn occasionaly if needed.

Remove from port, pat dry, oil bird then season.

Put bacon on breast and roast in a hot (220 C) for 30 - 45 mins

While roasting, simmer marinade (+ reserved poaching port) with another 4 oz of sliced mushrooms for about 10 minutes.

Add port and mushrooms to pheasant pan for last 10-15 mins of roasting.

& try this one
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/roast-pheasant-with-cavolo-nero-and-bacon

Tabatha_Kitten

I have a boss like that too !!
I find the best way to cook pheasant is to take the breast off. It doesnt take long to pan fry it and it stays much more moist.
The rest can then be boiled up to make stock which can be used to make a really nice red wine gravy !

valk_scot

I think that it might benefit from a longer hanging time, especially in this cold weather. According to this site seven days would be about right in cooler conditions when you don't want too gamey a bird.

valiant

This is my favourite pheasant recipe (from Delia Smith).

Forget the faffing around with the Calvados (doesn't make a real difference). Ordinary onions are fine if you haven't got shallots. The apple can be just stewed (in a microwave is good). I use Bramley rather than Cox. The result is a nice moist pheasant with a marvellous sauce.


Pot Roast of Pheasant with Shallots and Caramelised Apples

This is a superb way to cook pheasants and would make an excellent alternative Christmas lunch for four people. The pheasants are first browned and flamed in Calvados (apple brandy) and then are slowly braised in cider. If you don't have any Calvados, you could use brandy or omit altogether. When the pheasant season comes to an end in mid-February, this works just as well with guinea fowl.

Serves 4-6 Ingredients 2 pheasants 1 heaped teaspoon butter 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon oil 12 shallots, peeled 2 fresh thyme sprigs 1 bay leaf 3 tablespoons Calvados 11/2 pints (850 ml) medium cider 1 heaped teaspoon flour salt and freshly milled black pepper For the caramelised apples: 3 medium Cox's apples, unpeeled, quartered and each quarter sliced in 2 11/2 oz (40 g) butter 4 oz (110 g) granulated sugar

EquipmentYou will also need a flameproof casserole in which 2 pheasants can fit comfortably.
Method

Start off by heating the butter and oil together in a heavy frying pan, then brown the pheasants in the hot fat until they're a good golden colour all over. Then place them, breasts uppermost, in the casserole and season them well. Then brown the shallots in the remaining fat in the frying pan and add these to the pheasants, along with the thyme and bay leaf.
Next pour the Calvados into a small saucepan and warm it gently, then ignite with a match. While it is alight, pour the flaming Calvados all over the pheasants. The alcohol will burn off, leaving just the beautiful essence to flavour the birds. Now pour in the cider and bring everything up to a very gentle simmer, put a tight lid on the let the pheasants braise slowly on top of the stove for 1-11/4 hours or until they're tender.
Towards the end of the cooking time, pre-heat the grill to its highest setting.
Line the grill pan with foil and brush it with melted butter. Then brush each piece of apple with melted butter and dip it in sugar to coat it well all over. Place these on the foil and grill them about 2 inches (5 cm) away from the element for 6 minutes, or until the sugar caramelises. Then turn them over and caramelise them on the other side. When they're done they will keep warm without coming to any harm.
When the pheasants are cooked, remove them and the shallots to a warmed serving plate and keep warm. Discard the herbs, then boil the liquid in the casserole briskly without a lid until it has reduced slightly. Then whisk in the flour and butter paste with a balloon whisk, which will slighly thicken it when it comes back to the boil.
Carve the pheasant and serve with the shallots and sauce poured over and garnished with the caramelised apples.

Rikki

My OH shoots every weekend during the season so we have plenty of game. We only ever take the breast and legs off and casserole them. They freeze well too :T Good job even I can't eat pheasant every weekend.

Rikki

valk_scot wrote: »

I think that it might benefit from a longer hanging time, especially in this cold weather. According to this site seven days would be about right in cooler conditions when you don't want too gamey a bird.

Anything too gamey makes a good marinated curry.

mlz1413

Pancetta wrapped pheasant

rinse & dry pheasant and season with salt & pepper
put a sage leaf on meat & pancetta on top and wrap around, repeat until all meat covered.
Melt tbl spoon of butter over low heat add chopped shallots and fry for 5 mins, slowly add 1-2 tlb spoons of flour whilst stirring. Slowly add cider, stock & tsp of mustard whilst stirring.
Add chopped apple and chestnuts and season again.
Put in slow cooker on low for 2-3 hours.

I added a small bottle of cider and then topped up with stock until meat was covered in slow cooker, but it can be 50/50 depending on your tastes and if you like drinking the left over cider!

I cooked this for 2 so used one pheasant breast, also if I cooked again I probably wouldn't purposely buy the sage, I think it would be fine with any herb of your choice.

Clarieloo

Thanks all of those sound good. I will ask OH which one he fancies and give it a go. Cheers