CHICKEN DEMI GLACE SUBSTITUTE RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until foam subsides, then sauté mushrooms, stirring frequently, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and parsley and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and wipe skillet clean.
• Pat veal dry, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano.
• Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil with 1 teaspoon butter in skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. While fat is heating, quickly dredge 2 or 3 pieces of veal in flour, shaking off excess, then sauté until just cooked through, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on each side (meat will still be slightly pink inside). Transfer to a platter with tongs and keep warm, loosely covered. Sauté remaining veal in 2 more batches using remaining oil and butter.
• Add Marsala to skillet and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced by half. Stir in demiglace and simmer, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Stir in mushroom mixture and any veal juices accumulated on platter, then season with salt and pepper if necessary. Simmer 2 minutes more and spoon over veal.
• We use Demi-Glace Gold, available in specialty foods shops, some supermarkets, and by mail order from More Than Gourmet (800-860-9385) or the demiglace/brown sauce from Citarella (212-874-0383).

Steps:

• Flatten pheasant breasts slightly with a mallet or rolling pin, then rub with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and season with black pepper.
• Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat in a 9-inch skillet. When it foams, sear the pheasant, skin side down, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate, cover and keep warm.
• Steep the dried morels in 1/2 cup hot water for about 5 minutes. Drain and strain, reserving the soaking liquid. Discard stems and slice caps thinly.
• Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet and saute the shallots for 2 minutes, until golden, then add the morels and mushrooms for 1 minute. Remove to a bowl and keep warm.
• Boil the reserved soaking liquid with the brandy and white wine until reduced by 1/2, about 1 minute, then whisk in the cream and demi-glace and boil about 1 minute, until sauce is thickened and smooth. Whisk in the remaining lemon juice and the cayenne.
• Place the pheasant breasts skin side up on hot serving plates and top each with half the mushroom mixture, then the sauce.
• Enclose each breast with (ideally) a glass cover. Alert your guests to the olfactory possibilities, so they don't blow the experience the way I did. Once they are seated and you have their attention, lift the cover and fan the essence toward them, if necessary.