dynagirl

Heidi’s husband went pheasant hunting, and she generously passed on two of the birds. As I’ve never cooked a pheasant before, I tried to do some research–and came up with suprisingly little information. Meh. So I just kind of made this up… figuring that they’re lean, and, probably tasting a bit more wild than chicken, need a more agressive sauce.

They came with the backs removed, so I put a quarter of a lemon and a garlic clove where the cavity would be, covered it with the legs, wrapped with pancetta–game is very lean and needs additional cooking fat–and tied them up. I roasted them for about forty-five minutes (which turned out to be about fifteen too many). While the birds were resting, I made a sauce by softening minced shallots in the pan juices, then reducing into it a quarter-cup of balsamic vinegar, three-quarters cup of chicken stock, and about a tablespoon each of maple syrup and apple juice. Served over wild rice (JC‘s recipe), accompanied by pan-roasted aspargus and a prosciutto/arugula/parmesan salad, it was a delightful dinner.