Pheasant Napolean Food

PHEASANT BREASTS WITH POMEGRANATE GLAZE

Steps:

• Glaze: Add the pomegranate juice and sugar to a stainless pan. Simmer over low heat until reduced by half or until the mixture becomes a semi-thick syrup. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Pat the pheasant breasts dry with paper towels and season them well with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Put the breasts, skin side down, into the pan and cook until crispy, about 4 to 6 minutes.
• Put breasts on a sheet pan and roast until cooked through about for 8 to10 minutes.
• Reheat the glaze.
• Arrange the pheasants on a serving platter and drizzle with the glaze. Serve with rice or mashed potato, if desired.

POACHED PHEASANT WITH SAVOY CABBAGE, BUTTERNUT SQUASH, AND BLACK TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Remove any scuffed cabbage leaves. Then peel off 8 of the outermost, larger green leaves and remove the tough core with a pairing knife. Have a ready a bowl of ice water. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the 8 cabbage leaves until tender but not falling apart, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately shock the leaves in the ice water to stop the cooking. Dry the leaves thoroughly between paper towels and set aside.
• Lay one very long piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Lay 2 cabbage leaves on the plastic wrap, overlapping just a bit. Dot the cabbage with 1 teaspoon of the truffle butter. Season one breast with salt and set it on one edge of the cabbage leaves and fold the excess cabbage over the breast. If there is excess, cut with kitchen shears. Continue to wrap the pheasant breast tightly with the plastic wrap, so the plastic goes twice around; there should be extra wrap on the ends to tie off into a knot. Repeat with the remaining breasts. Seal the breasts in sous vide bags. Using an immersion circulator to keep a constant temperature, cook the breasts at 144 degrees F for 30 minutes.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan set over low heat. Add the squash and cook until almost tender, not allowing it to brown at all. Add the water, cover the pan, and simmer until almost no water remains. Use a hand blender to blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt.
• To serve, slice the breasts on the bias, three slices per breast. Spoon the butternut squash puree onto a plate. Set the breast over the puree and finish with shaved truffles and sea salt.

PAN ROASTED BREAST OF PHEASANT WITH VANILLA AND PEARS

Steps:

• To cure the pheasant: In a large bowl combine the water, 1/4 cup each of sugar and salt, mixing to dissolve. Add the pheasant breasts, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• To make sauces: In a large, non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add the shallots cooking until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla bean and seeds, white wine, cider, and cream. Bring to a simmer cooking until the liquids are reduced and thickened to sauce consistency, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• In another saucepan, combine the red wine and the honey. Bring to a simmer over high heat cooking until reduced to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Reserve.
• To cook the pheasants: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large non-stick ovenproof skillet, add 2 tablespoons butter and melt over high heat. Season the pheasant with salt, pepper, and coriander. Add the pheasant skin side down, cooking until browned and well-seared, about 5 minutes. Turn over and transfer the pan to the lower rack of the oven. Cook until just about medium, about 6 to 8 minutes depending on the size of the pheasant breast. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Allow to rest a couple of minutes before cutting.
• In another large, non-stick, skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over high heat. Add the Anjou pears cooking until they just begin to soften slightly, about 2 minutes. Add two tablespoons of the sugar cooking while occasionally stirring until browned on the edges, about 4 minutes. Remove the pears and keep warm.
• To Serve: Position the rice pilaf mixture in a cylinder form in the center of each hot serving plate. Position the pear slices around the rice cylinder. Slice the pheasant on a bias to yield 4 or 6 thin broad slices. Stack the slices on top of the rice cylinder. Spoon the vanilla-ginger and red wine sauce artistically over and around the pheasant and on the plate. Sprinkle the dish with freshly ground black pepper and chives. Garnish with the vanilla bean and sprigs of chive over the pheasant. Serve immediately.

ROAST PHEASANT TRIDENT VILLAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Warm a little clarified butter in casserole dish on stovetop over high heat. Add pineapple to cover base. Cover pineapple with neck and giblets and dribble in any juices from pheasant. Chop wings and add to dish. Cook, turning pineapple to color on both sides.
• Season inside and outside of bird with salt and pepper. Truss bird and place on top of ingredients in casserole. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on high heat. Loosen any stuck pieces of pineapple and pour in pineapple juice. Brush bird with clarified butter and place in oven, uncovered, for 1 hour. Baste during cooking to keep bird moist. After 1 hour, cover bird with brown paper or buttered parchment paper and cook another 20 minutes.
• Remove bird from casserole. Skim off top layer of fat juices, and strain dark residue collected in pan to a separate small pot. Bring this to a boil. Blend arrowroot and 1/2 cup wine. Add this to pot, along with remaining wine. Boil until arrowroot thickens and clears.
• Carve pheasant and transfer to heated serving platter. Coat pieces with sauce and garnish with watercress and potatoes.