Ingredients:
For the Pheasants:
60g butter
2 oven-ready pheasants
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
100g bacon lardons
1 celery stick, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
4 sprigs of sage
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into large chunks
60ml Calvados
300ml chicken stock
500ml dry cider
300ml double cream
For the Baked Apples:
4 Cox's apples, peeled and cored
30g butter
1 tbsp light brown sugar
To Serve:
6 deep-fried sage leaves
8 slices of crispy pancetta
blanched kale, to accompany
Method:
Melt the butter in a large oven-proof casserole dish. Season the pheasants liberally inside and out with ground black pepper. Place the birds in the casserole and fry until golden brown all over. Take out of the pot and set aside.
Add the onions, bacon, celery, carrot and sage to the pot then cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the bacon is crisp (about 6 minutes). Pour away any excess fat then return the pheasants to the pan. Sprinkle over the apples then pour in the calvados and flambé (set alight with a taper). Once the flames have died down add 300ml of the cider and the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan and transfer to an oven pre-heated to 190°C and bake for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, place the cored and peeled apples on a lightly-greased baking tray. Sprinkle these with sugar then place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, basting them a few times with butter during cooking.
After they have cooked for 20 minutes, remove the pheasants from the casserole dish and set on a chopping board. Remove the thighs and breasts and set these aside to keep warm. Cut the remainder of the carcasses into four pieces each and return these to the casserole, along with the vegetables and the remaining cider. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
After this time strain the pan juices through a fine-meshed sieve. Pour the strained liquid back into the casserole and add a splash of calvados. Bring to a boil and reduce the volume by half. Reduce the heat then whisk in the cream. Bring to a simmer (do not boil) and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the sauce is smooth and creamy and has thickened slightly.
Return the pheasant pieces to the casserole, allow these to warm through. Serve the pheasant pieces on a bed of kale (one breast and one thigh per person). Spoon a little of the sauce over each portion. Accompany with a baked apple, garnished with the deep-fried sage and the crispy pancetta then serve.
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