Kay really wanted to have pheasant for Christmas Dinner and I was happy to oblige. I had never cooked this particular game bird, but her cousin Bill directed me to some recipes on-line and I found several that looked promising. Since these fowl spend most of their time fleeing for their lives they tend to be a bit tough and dry out during cooking. I used the time-honored technique of larding the bird to prevent it's drying out, but the toughness wasn't something I could change. Kay loved it, but for my money I would rather have a succulent, tender, juicy roast chicken. Call me plebeian if you like; I can take it. However, the Cumberland-Whiskey Sauce that accompanied the pheasant was outstanding. I could taste it with any number of roasted meats
The parts of the menu that I enjoyed the most were the Rutabaga Soup and the polenta with Chanterelles. The Brussels Sprouts weren't too shabby either. I have decided to put the various recipes in separate postings for ease of reading and locating.
ROAST PHEASANT WITH WHISKEY-CUMBERLAND SAUCE, POLENTA WITH CHANTERELLES AND SAUTEED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Roast Pheasant with Whiskey-Cumberland Sauce
(serves 4)
- 1/4 cup Scotch whisky
- 2 oranges cut into 1/8ths
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 ( 2 to 2 1/2-pounds) pheasants
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 slices bacon, halved
Whiskey-Cumberland Sauce
- 1 cup Scotch whisky
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
- 1 cup red currant jelly
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Pinch cayenne
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a bowl, toss the oranges with 3 tablespoons of the whisky. Rub the pheasants with the remaining 1 tablespoon of whisky and lightly season with salt and pepper. Stuff each pheasant with the oranges and 1 sprig of fresh thyme, and close the cavities with skewers. Wrap the breast of each pheasant with the bacon and set in a roasting pan. Roast the pheasant until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees F., about 45 minutes. (Ours took about an hour and 15 minutes.) Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes
For the sauce: In a medium saucepan combine the whisky,orange juice and orange zest, and bring to boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by 50 percent in volume--about 3/4 cup. Add currant jelly, salt and cayenne; stir well.
Cook until thickened about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Cool slightly before serving.
Cut each bird in half and serve with the sauce.
