Roasted Pheasant with Prince Charles Sauce
I was fortunate to be the recipient of not only a few slices of homemade wild game terrine made from pheasant, duck and rabbit (before it was even presented to guests for Christmas!) but also a pheasant of my own!
This certainly brought back some childhood memories. My father was an avid hunter, fisherman, and taxidermist. If I recall correctly, my mother was not the happiest at having to clean the game my father brought home. Funny - one of my fondest memories is not of deer, pheasant, or frog, but a big box of Bartlett pears from a friend's orchard he brought back after one of his hunting expeditions.
The recipe calls for Drambuie, a liqueur which I substituted Grand Marnier. I was not about to fork over 35+ bucks for the small amount I needed for this recipe. I did find it at Bevmo for as low as 4.99 which makes one wonder...
My kitchen was filled with such a wonderful aroma while this was baking away; I even texted Andy to share the excitement of what was to come.
Pheasant is known to have a low fat content and can dry out quickly; hence covering it in bacon to moisten the bird as it cooks and while adding wonderful flavor. I'm not sure if basting the bird throughout is really necessary for that is the purpose of the bacon; as the fat melts it is self-basting the pheasant.
I was cautioned about finding possible buckshot from the shotgun shells. Call me weird, but I was so excited to find a small silver little ball while cleaning the bird! Good thing it was not my tooth that found it.
The sauce had an overpowering taste of honey. I really could not detect the flavor of the Grand Marnier, and I'm not sure if I would have had that much of a different outcome using the Drambuie. All things considered, this was a memorable meal.
Thank you Mr. Bell!!
Success meter (1-3): 3
Clean your sink well, before and after rinsing your poultry.
The CDC now discourages washing your fowl for concern
of cross contamination.
Buckshot!
I say my bird fits comfortably.
I left my bacon in the pan after removing from the
bird while it continued to cook and brown.
I love that my husband does
the dirty work for me!
I would forgo the Prince Charles Sauce and dip
the meat back into the pan-drippings.
Maybe even make a gravy.
