Pheasant With Bacon And Sour Cream Food

EMERIL'S FAVORITE ROAST PHEASANT

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.

BREAST OF PHEASANT WITH SOUR-CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Sprinkle the breasts with salt, pepper and paprika.
• Melt the butter in a heavy nonstick skillet large enough to hold the pheasant breasts in one layer. Add the breasts and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Turn the breasts and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the onions and thyme. Stir and cook until the onions are wilted. Add the wine to dissolve the brown particles that cling to the bottom of the pan. Continute cooking until most of the wine evaporates.
• Add the heavy cream and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the sour cream, blend well and bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings and serve very hot.

PHEASANT WITH BACON AND SOUR CREAM

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to moderate.
• Carefully loosen the skin over the breasts of the pheasants and insert a piece of bacon under the skin over each breast.
• Pull the skin back over the breasts, and brush the birds liberally with the melted butter.
• Fold the wings under the body of the birds, tie the legs together loosely, and place the birds in a casserole dish.
• Roast, uncovered in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes, until the birds begin to brown.
• Pour the sour cream over the birds and season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and cook for 40 to 55 minutes.
• Transfer the birds to a heated serving platter and keep hot.
• Stir the cream into the pan juices, on top of the stove.
• Simmer gently until the sauce has thickened, adjust the seasoning, and serve with the pheasants.

TENDER PHEASANTS

Steps:

• Place the pheasants into a large slow cooker. Wrap and drape the bacon over the birds, covering the pheasants as much as you can. Whisk the condensed soup, sour cream, water, chopped onion, onion soup mix, and mushrooms together in a mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over the pheasants.
• Cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours, or on High for 5 to 7 hours.

POT-ROAST PHEASANT WITH CIDER & BACON

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Melt the butter in a large non-stick flameproof dish. Season the pheasants, add to the dish and brown on all sides. Remove from the dish and set aside.
• Add the bacon, onion, celery and sage to the dish and cook for 10 mins until the onion is soft and the bacon is crisp. Carefully pour off any excess fat.
• Return the pheasants to the dish and scatter over the apples. Pour over the cider and the chicken stock, bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 25 mins until the birds are cooked through.
• Remove the birds from the dish and keep warm. Return dish to the hob over a high heat. Let the liquid bubble until reduced by half, then add the cabbage, cover with a lid and cook for 3 mins. Add the cream, check the seasoning, and continue cooking for 1 min more. Serve the pheasant on top of the cabbage mixture with some mashed potato, if you like.

CREAMED PHEASANT

Steps:

• Fry pheasant in oil until brown.
• Take out of pan.
• To pan add flour and bouillon dissolved in 1/2 cup water.
• Add soup, sour cream, half-and-half, 1 cup water, and salt and pepper.
• Add pheasant and bake at 350° until pheasant is tender.

PHEASANT IN CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Place pheasant in an ungreased 11x7-in. baking dish. Combine the next eight ingredients; pour over pheasant. Sprinkle generously with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 1-1/2 hours until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, basting occasionally. Sprinkle again with paprika before serving.