PoliceLink

Howdy Eric.  Knew a guy from S.Dakota who said his mother prepared pheasant in milk.  Said it was very tasty.  I'll check it out. 

Eric - Larousse Gastronomique - Brillat-Savarin "This bird, when eaten within three days of its death, is in no way distinguished.  It has neither the delicacy of a chicken, nor the aroma of a quail.  Eaten at precisely the right moment, its flesh is tender, sublime and highly flavored, for it has at once something of the flavour of poultry and of venison."

"This ideal moment is when the pheasant begins to decompose.  Then its aroma develops in an oily essence which requires a little fermentation to reach perfection, like the aroma of coffee which manifess itself only through roasting."

Brillat-Savarin advises interlarding which Larousse disputes heartily.  Larrousse agrees against plucking before the pheasant is ready.

In other words, pheasant should be hung until it is ready to eat.  Larousse Gastronomique has 26 hot pheasant preparations/11 cold (many employing foie gras and truffles).

FAISAN EN COCOTTE A LA CREME

Truss the pheasant with the legs pressed against the breast.  Cook in butter until three-parts cooked.  At this point, pour on 1 and 1/4 cups of fresh cream.  Finish cooking, basting the phesant frequently with the cream.  Just before serving, add a squeeze of lemon juice.  Sour cream may be used for this dish. 

Probably serve roast w/potatoes, haricot vert, a simple salad of butter lettuce and fresh herbs, fresh peaches or pears for dessert.  (I can't advise you on wine as I've not eaten pheasant.  I like a flinty sauvignon blanc.)

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Google'd these at: http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/he124w-2.htm

Pheasant in Sour Cream

1 pheasant, cut in serving pieces

Flour, salt and pepper, fat

1 c. sour cream (regular or reduced fat)

3 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix

1/2 c. milk

Coat pheasant with flour, salt and pepper. Brown in hot fat. Combine cream, soup mix and milk; pour over browned meat. Cover. Bake at 350° F 1 hour or until tender.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving (recipe as is): 352 calories, 25 g fat, 9 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber and 90 mg cholesterol.

Per serving (recipe with reduced fat sour cream): 326 calories, 22 g fat, 10 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber and 88 mg cholesterol.

Pheasant in Milk

1 pheasant (cut up)

Milk or cream

Flour seasoned with salt, pepper or other spices

Carbonated lemon-lime drink (optional)

2 Tbsp. fat

Dredge pheasant in seasoned flour. Brown in fat on both sides. Add approximately 2 inches of milk or cream. Simmer on top of stove, or bake in oven until done (1 to 1 1/2 hours until it reaches a temperature of at least 165 degrees). If desired, add 1/2 to 3/4 c. carbonated lemon-lime drink when you add the milk.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving (recipe as is): 915 calories, 57 g fat, 3 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber and 285 mg cholesterol.

Per serving (recipe with skim milk): 332 calories, 17 g fat, 12 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber and 77 mg cholesterol.

Table 1. Nutrient content of lean* domestic and game meats.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Nutrient 


Species            Moisture  Protein   Fat   Cholesterol  Energy**

-------------------------------------------------------------------

                     - - - (g/100g***) - -    (mg/100g)  (Kcal/100g) 

Beef (USDA Choice)    70.2    22.0     6.5       72        180 

Beef (USDA STD)       73.2    22.7     2.0       69        152 

Pork                  71.9    22.3     4.9       71        165 

Lamb***               73.2    20.8     5.7       66        167 

Buffalo               74.5    21.7     1.9       62        138 

Whitetail Deer        73.5    23.6     1.4      116        149 

Mule Deer             73.4    23.7     1.3      107        145 

Elk                   74.8    22.8     0.9       67        137 

Moose                 75.8    22.1     0.5       71        130 

Antelope              73.9    22.5     0.9      112        144 

Squirrel               3.8    21.4     3.2       83        149 

Cottontail            74.5    21.8     2.4       77        144 

Jackrabbit            73.8    21.9     2.4      131        153 

Chicken               75.7    23.6     0.7       62        135 

Turkey (domestic)     73.8    23.5     1.5       60        146 

Wild Turkey           71.7    25.7     1.1       55        163 

Pheasant (domestic)   74.0    23.9     0.8       71        144 

Wild Pheasant         72.4    25.7     0.6       52        148 

Grey Partridge        72.1    25.6     0.7       85        151 

Sharp-tailed Grouse   74.2    23.8     0.7      105        142 

Sage Grouse           74.3    23.7     1.1      101        140 

Dove                  73.6    22.9     1.8       94        145 

Sandhill Crane        73.2    21.7     2.4      123        153 

Snow Goose            71.1    22.7     3.6      142        121 

Mallard               73.2    23.1     2.0      140        152 

Widgeon               73.5    22.6     2.1      131        153 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

*Mammal Samples � Longissimus Muscle; Avian Samples � Breast Muscle 

**Determined by bomb calorimeter. 

***100 grams is approximately 3.5 ounces. 

****Results of research conducted at North Dakota State University. 

All values (except lamb which is published in The Journal of Food 

Science) are the result of original research at North Dakota State 

University. 

Table 2. Mineral content of lean tissue from 
domestic and game meals.* 

--------------------------------------------------

                          Mineral** (mg/100g) 

                     -----------------------------

Species                P    Na    Ca    Fe    Zn

--------------------------------------------------

Pork                  204   52   4.4   0.8   1.5 

Beef                  172   52   4.2   1.8   3.4 

Buffalo               177   52   5.5   2.5   2.4 

Mule Deer             166   54   3.3   2.7   1.4 

Whitetail Deer        212   51   3.8   3.6   2.0 

Elk                   161   58   3.8   2.7   2.4 

Antelope              180   49   3.2   3.1   1.2 

Moose                 149   65   3.6   3.0   2.8 

Chicken               180   42   4.7   0.6   0.52 

Pheasant              219   50   5.1   1.2   0.64 

Sharp-tailed Grouse   200   67   7.2   4.8   0.73 

Sage Grouse           226   57   5.3   4.1   0.71 

Grey Partridge        223   43   4.7   2.7   0.66 

Dove                  252   64   5.3   4.3   0.64 

--------------------------------------------------

*Mammal samples � Longissimus muscle; 

 Avian samples � Breast muscle 

**P = Phosphorus; Na = Sodium; Ca = Calcium; 

  Fe = Iron; Zn = Zinc 

All values are results of research conducted at 

North Dakota State University. 

Table 3. The relative percentage of the types of fat 
within the muscle* tissue of various mammalian species. 

----------------------------------------------------------

                             % Fatty Acids 

               -------------------------------------------

Species        Saturated   Monosaturated   Polyunsaturated

----------------------------------------------------------

Beef              46.3          45.5            8.2 

Buffalo           43.2          45.0           11.8 

Mule Deer         48.0          31.8           20.2 

Whitetail Deer    45.6          30.6           23.9 

Elk               48.4          26.6           24.9 

Antelope          41.2          27.1           31.6 

Moose             36.6          24.3           39.1 

----------------------------------------------------------

* Longissimus muscle. 

Then invite me for dinner.  Rrrrrrrrrr!!

klamm143 says ...

Contessa.......or Rachel...........or Justin..........or Bobby.......or Frugal...........or MARLY

Barefoot in the kitchen, that's me!

Hello Eric, one of my favorites is one you can subsitute with duck.  I start out with white seedless grapes that are placed in a bowl. The amount of which will be determined by the number of Pheasants you wish to serve.   Take the grapes and add brown sugar and mash until a semi-paste is made.  Add the sugar to taste.  Get an injector and inject the juice from the grapes into the breast of the birds.

I then stuff the cavity of the birds with the brown sugar/grape mixture, the birds are then placed in the bottom of a roasting pan, with a mixture of water, and white wine,  don't go overboard with the expense, a cheap white white will work.  The amount of water, and wine should only be enough to bring the level appox. 1 1/2 inches from the bottom of the birds. 

With a pre-heated oven,  set the temp for 350 degrees.  I know it is overkill but I like to place some foil over each breast as the birds lay in the pan breast up.  I cover the roasting pan.  I like mine to be set in the oven for about 35 mins.,  when the bird is about ready,  I remove the top of the roaster,  and tune on the broiler, which in turn browns the breast. 

I most often used this method for Ruff Grouse when I still lived in Michigan.  It keeps the breast moist, and sweet.   Let me know if you like it. 

Scott