PHEASANT WINE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3.
  2. Peel and halve the carrot lengthways, then peel and thinly slice the onions.
  3. Take both legs off the birds and snap off the back bone at the base of the breastbone (or get your butcher to prepare them for you).
  4. Place a shallow, heavy-based casserole dish over a medium–high heat, add 50g butter and brown the legs, skin-side down. Flip and repeat on the other side.
  5. When they are brown all over, remove from the pan, add the carrot and onion, reduce the heat to low, pop on the lid and cook slowly for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Add the vinegar and wine, then reduce by half. Return the legs to the pan, skin-side up. Add the thyme and pour over the stock to almost cover. Bring to a simmer, pop on the lid and cook in the oven for 1½ hours, until you can pull the meat from the bone.
  7. Leave the dish in the oven but take off the lid so that the skin on the legs colours and crisps up, then remove from the oven, season and keep warm. Reduce the oven to 100ºC/gas ¼.
  8. Place a heavy-based frying pan over a medium–high heat and colour the crown on all sides.
  9. Add the remaining butter, reduce the heat and continuously baste the birds. Once they’re golden and crispy, cook in the oven until the temperature in the thickest part of the breast reaches 59ºC. Carve and serve with seasonal veg.

Steps:

• Season the pheasant portions and dust with flour. Melt 40g (11/2oz) of the butter in a large pan and brown the pheasant portions, in batches, over a high heat until deep golden brown on all sides. Transfer pheasant to a slow cooker (don't turn the cooker on at this point).

  Add the bacon rashers to the empty pheasant pan and fry over a high heat for 4min, turning once during the cooking time, until golden. Turn the heat to medium, add the onions, celery, juniper berries and ginger and cook for 8-10min until the vegetables have softened.

  Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2min, then gradually stir in the hot stock and the cider and bring to the boil, stirring frequently. Carefully pour the mixture over the pheasant pieces in the slow cooker, season well, then cover and cook on Low for 6-7hr until the pheasant is tender.

  Lift out the pheasant and put into a warmed dish and cover loosely to keep warm. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a pan. Stir in the cream, bring to the boil and bubble for 10min or until syrupy. 

  Quarter, core and cut the apples into wedges, then toss in the lemon juice. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan and fry the apple wedges for 2-3min until golden. Put the pheasant back into the sauce, along with the apples, warm through and check the seasoning before serving.