Roasted Pheasant in a Creamed Port Gravy

Difficulty:
1/5

Cooking Time:  1 hour

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1  Pheasant
  • 1 ½ cup Port
  • 5  thin slices Onion
  • 2  tablespoon wild mushroom, finely chopped
  • 1 cup Chicken stock
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 2 Cloves, whole
  • 1  Garlic clove
  • 1 tablespoons Parsley, chopped fine
  • 2 tablespoons Celery leaves, chopped fine
  • 1  slice Lemon (peeled and chopped)
  • 10 Juniper berries
  • 1 Tangerine (whole) – peeled
  • 1/4 lb Larding pork or bacon
  • 10  Peppercorns, crushed
  • 1/4 cup Tangerine Liqueur or Orange juice
  • 1 cup Sour cream

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Rub pheasant inside and out with salt and pepper.  Stuff the bird with bay leaf, cloves, parsley, celery leaves, lemon, and juniper berries.  Place garlic inside the tangerine and stuff inside pheasant.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon of port over the bird.    Close the body cavity of the pheasant shut with a toothpick or needle.  Add 1 tablespoon of port to a plate.  Dip larding pork or bacon into the fortified wine and place on top of pheasant breast.
  3. Add onion slices, mushrooms, & juniper berries to the bottom of a roasting pan.  Place your pheasant on top.  Pour chicken stock, remaining cup of port, and Mandarine liqueur or orange juice, over the bird.  Roast for 40-45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes at least.  The basting is very important as pheasant can dry out easily. Cover the roasted pheasant with foil and let sit for 10 minutes.
  4. Strain gravy pushing on the vegetables to release all of their flavour.  Let stand for 10 minutes. Skim fat that rises to the top. Strain again through a cheesecloth covered bowl.  Just before serving, fold in sour cream.