Recipe: Roast pheasant with apple, cider and cream sauce

Serves: 2-3 people

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time:  45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 whole pheasant trussed for roasting
• Light olive oil
• 2 cooking apples
• Sage leaves
• 1 can of cider
• 100mls cream
• Chicken stock if needed
• Sugar if needed
• Salt and Pepper

Method

Season the trussed pheasant and seal in a hot pan with oil, turning the bird so it seals all over and colours well.

Peel, core and slice the apples. Taking a deep cooking pot with a lid, place half the apples on the base of the pot. Place the sealed pheasant on the apples and cover with the remaining apples.

Add four or five sage leaves and then add the cider and bring to the boil.

Place the lid on the pot and put into a hot oven 200c/400F/Fan 180C Gas mark 6 for ten minutes. Turn the oven to 180c/350F/Fan 160c/Gas mark 4 and cook for a further 25 minutes. Ensure the juices run clear, if pink cook a little longer and test again

Once cooked remove the pheasant and drain all the cooking juices back into the cooking pot and allow the pheasant to stand and rest for five minutes. Meanwhile add the cream to the apples and cooking juices then liquidise to a fine puree

If the sauce is too thick add a bit of chicken stock to thin it down. Also tastes if it tastes a bit too sharp add a little sugar to take off the sharpness of the apples.

Take the pheasant, remove the trussing string and remove the legs. Cut the legs in half so you have a drumstick and thigh. Retain the thighs and discard the drumsticks, these have too many sinews.

Remove the breast from the carcass, and serve a breast and thigh together as a portion.

Warm the sauce but do not boil and serve. Pour the sauce over the portions and serve.

Thank you for Taste of Game for providing the recipe.