Roasted Scottish Pheasants With Apricots And Dates 21 Club Recipes

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.

Steps:

• THE DAY BEOFRE: Take a pheasant, fully extend one of its legs, and cut through the skin attaching it to the breast. Note where it's hinged to the carcass and sever between the two joints. Repeat with the other leg. Turn the bird over on to its breast and cut away the backbone where it's attached to the breast. Poultry shears are best for this, but strong scissors or a knife will do. Reveal the wishbone and cut it free, then break away as much of the carcass as you can, leaving the whole two-sided breast (the crown) intact. You will need to sever two more little joints to free the crown entirely and trim off a few flappy, fine ribs from below the breasts, then remove any yellow fat, bits of skin, shot or bloody parts from the crown itself. Repeat with the other two pheasants, then wrap each crown in cling film and put in the fridge.
• Preheat the oven to 140C/gas 1/fan 120C. Tidy up the legs, then wipe them with damp kitchen paper. Pack the legs skin-side down into a roasting tin or baking dish just large enough to take them in a single layer. Strew with the juniper berries, herbs, garlic and salt and pepper, then pour in enough oil to barely cover. Roast for about 2 hours or until very tender, turning the legs halfway through.
• When the legs are cooked, remove them from the oven and leave to cool immersed in their cooking fat before refrigerating (still in the fat) overnight.
• IN THE MORNING: When you are ready to finish the cooking, bring both crowns and legs to room temperature, and preheat the oven to 230C/gas 8/fan 210C. Season the crowns well with salt and pepper. Cut the wodge of pancetta in half widthways, separate the half slices, then drape them across the crowns to cover them completely. Scrape off all the gubbins from the legs and discard.
• Put the crowns in a roasting tin, leaving enough space for the legs, and roast for 12 minutes. Add the legs and roast for 8-15 minutes more, depending on the size of the birds and how you like your game cooked. Leave the pheasants to rest in a warm place for 5-10 minutes before slicing the whole breast off each side of the crowns and serving with the legs and pancetta.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Separate the layers of Parma ham and chop two slices finely. Mix the ricotta, chopped ham, thyme and Parmesan with some seasoning.
• Carefully ease the skin away from the breast meat of each pheasant and use half the stuffing per bird, pressing it to the contours of the breasts through the skin. This protects the meat from the heat and will stop it drying out. Poke some sprigs of thyme into the body cavity to add flavour.
• Put the pheasants in a roasting tin and top each one with the remaining ham. Season with pepper, then pour over the vermouth and drizzle with oil.
• Roast for 20 mins, then turn down the heat to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and cook for 40 mins more, basting every now and then with the pan juices until the legs are no longer pink. Cover with foil and a tea towel and leave to stand for 10 mins before carving. Serve with wilted spinach and potatoes prepared however you like them.