Baked Cherry Stuffed Pheasant Breast

 

Baked cherry stuffed pheasant breasts with sauteed leek mash

Wild game of many different types pairs well with a similarly numerous selection of fruits. While fresh cherries could be used in this recipe, they can be a little bit bitter so carefully rinsed glace cherries were used here instead. The main component of the dish was served on a bed of homemade apple and cider sauce with sauteed leek infused mash and garden peas.

Cook Time

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 25 min

Ready in: 40 min

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 Bramley or similar apple, cored, peeled and very roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons dry apple cider, 2 each for sauce and for baking pheasant
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 medium sized baking potatoes
• Salt
• 1 skinless pheasant breast fillet
• 3 or 4 glace cherries, washed in lukewarm water and quartered
• 3 or 4 strips smoked streaky bacon or as required (standard US bacon)
• Black pepper
• 1 ounce/25g (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 inch/5cm piece of leek stem, finely sliced into discs
• Frozen peas as required

Method

Put your oven on to preheat to 190C/Gas Mark 5/375F.

Apples are starting to break down to form a sauce

Put the apples into a small saucepan along with 2 tablespoons of the cider, the sugar and the lemon juice. Put the pan on to a high heat until the liquid starts to simmer then reduce to medium to low and stir with a wooden spoon until the apple piece have mostly broken down and a lush sauce is starting to form. This should only take a few minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and set aside to cool.

Lay the pheasant breast on a chopping board and make a lengthways cut in the centre, going about 2/3 of the way through only. Lay the washed, chopped cherries in the gap created and season with a little black pepper only. Carefully pull the 2 sides of the pheasant breast together and wrap with the bacon strips to securely seal. Lay the package in a suitably sized casserole dish and pour over the remainder of the cider. Put the lid on the dish and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.

Cherry stuffed pheasant breast ready for baking

Peel and cut the potatoes into medium chunks. Add to a pot of cold, salted water and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are just softened.

Leeks are put on to soften in butter

When the potatoes have been simmering for about 10 minutes, add the butter to s small saucepan and put it on to a medium heat to melt. Add the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Saute for a few minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the leeks are softened. Turn off the heat and briefly set aside.

Take the pheasant breast from the oven and test with a skewer to ensure the juices run clear. Put the lid back on the dish and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

Add the peas to a pot of salted boiling water and reduce heat to achieve a simmer for 3 minutes.

When the potatoes are just softened, drain and return to the pot. Allow to steam off for a couple of minutes before mashing with a hand masher then carefully stirring in the sauteed leeks.

Lift the pheasant to a chopping board and cut in half at a 45-degree angle.

Spoon the apple sauce carefully into the centre of a square serving plate and arrange the pheasant breast pieces on top as shown in the picture at the top of this post. Use 2 dessert spoons to quenelle the potatoes and lay at the 4 corners of the plate, again as shown. Drain the peas and carefully spoon into the spaces around the pheasant and between the potato quenelles to serve.

Venison Curry in Giant Yorkshire Pudding

 

Spicy venison curry in a giant Yorkshire pudding

While curry of any kind is most often served with rice and/or a wide potential variety of Indian flatbreads, it works wonderfully well served in a number of different ways. In this instance, we will see a tasty, homemade roe deer venison curry served inside a larger than standard Yorkshire pudding to excellent effect. Note that meaty stews - wild game or otherwise - work equally well served in this fashion.

Cook Time

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 3 hours 15 min

Ready in: 3 hours 30 min

Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients (Venison Curry)

• 1 pound/450g roe deer venison loin meat, diced to 1 inch/2.5cm chunks
• 4 tablespoons vegetable (or sunflower) oil
• 2 teaspoons medium hot curry powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• Salt and pepper
• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
• 14 ounce/400g can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
• 1/2 each red, green, yellow bell peppers, seeded and sliced
• 1 medium to large red chilli, thinly sliced, seeds in
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 pint/568ml fresh chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander leaf/cilantro, plus extra to garnish

Ingredients (per Yorkshire Pudding)

• 2 small eggs
• Equal quantity by volume plain/all purpose flour
• Equal quantity by volume full cream milk
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• Black pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Venison is browned in spiced oil

Method

Pour the vegetable oil into a large stew pot and add all the powdered/ground spices. Put the pot on to a low to medium heat and stir the spices around in the warming oil for a couple of minutes with a wooden spoon. This helps both to release the flavours from the spices as well as to cook off the harshness that may otherwise be imparted into the curry. Be careful not to overcook and burn the spices or they will turn bitter.

Add the venison chunks to the pot, turn up the heat slightly and stir for 2 or 3 minutes until the meat is evenly browned and sealed all over. Add the sliced onion and cook in a similar fashion for a further couple of minutes until the onion strands are just starting to soften.

Tomatoes and peppers are added to the spiced venison and onion

Pour the canned tomatoes into the pot. Add the sliced bell peppers, chilli and garlic - as well as salt and pepper to taste - and stir well to combine everything together. Pour the chicken stock into the pot, stir again and turn up the heat until you achieve a very gentle simmer. Cover and continue to simmer as gently as possible for 3 hours, stirring occasionally and ensuring the mixture doesn't start to boil dry. If absolutely necessary, add a little more chicken stock or boiling water but note that this can impart negatively on the flavour of the finished dish.

Yorkshire pudding principal ingredients

When the curry has been simmering for around 2 hours, it's time to start making the Yorkshire puddings. These little 3-inch/7.5cm diameter ramekins are perfect for measuring out the Yorkshire pudding batter ingredients, as well as for many other not always so obvious purposes in the kitchen (but  much more to come on that at later dates!) Simply break the 2 eggs carefully into one of them before filling 2 more to similar levels with flour and milk.

Pour the eggs, flour and milk into a mixing bowl and season with the turmeric, salt and black pepper. Whisk to combine and form a smooth batter. Put the bowl into your fridge for the batter to rest while you heat the oven and cooking dishes. Note that you will need to prepare batter this way for each Yorkshire pudding you intend making.

Pour a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil into a 7-inch/18cm diameter casserole dish and place the dish into the cold oven before turning the oven on to preheat to 220C/450F/Gas Mark 8. If making 2 puddings, you will obviously require 2 cooking vessels.

Yorkshire pudding batter is poured into hot oil

Very carefully, lift the heated casserole dish(es) to a heatproof surface. Pour in the chilled batter, being careful of potentially splashing hot oil. Put the dish(es) straight back into the hot oven and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not open the oven to check on the pudding(s) before the 25 minutes are up as this could affect the rising of the pudding(s).

Coriander is added to venison curry

When the Yorkshire pudding(s) is/are in the oven, add the coriander/cilantro to the curry, stir carefully but well and simmer for 15 final minutes before turning off the heat under the pot.

Giant Yorkshire pudding removed from the oven

The Yorkshire pudding(s) should come out of the oven beautifully golden and risen around the edges, with plenty of room in the centre for serving the curry. They should lift easily from the casserole dish with a large slotted spoon to your serving plate.

Venison curry spooned into Yorkshire pudding

Spoon the curry carefully into each pudding, garnish with the last of the coriander and serve immediately.