Pheasant and Black Pudding Pasties

 

Pheasant and black pudding pasty with tomato chutney

Pasties have gradually come to take many different shapes and forms since their likely humble beginnings as Cornish pasties, that product prepared by their wives for the tin miners of the day to take down the mines for their lunch. Sweet or savoury, any number of foodstuffs have now been folded and crimped in pastry and baked in the oven to delicious effect. While it may seem to many that the extremely lean nature of many types of wild game would cause the meat to dry out when cooked in this way, the opposite is actually the case, with the pastry protecting in this instance the pheasant breast and keeping all the tasty juices inside. The addition of black pudding further flavours and moistens the meat and - provided the pasties are rested properly when removed from the oven (this is essential!) - the pheasant breast meat will be enjoyed at a stage of tender perfection.

Cook Time

Prep time: 30 min

Cook time: 40 min

Ready in: 1 hour 10 min (plus resting time)

Yields: 2 medium pasties

Principal pasty ingredients

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized and skinless pheasant breast fillets
• 2 half-inch (1.25cm) thick slices of Stornoway black pudding (or similar)*
• 1/2 pound (225g) pack of premade puff pastry
• Salt and pepper
• 1 egg, beaten in a small cup or bowl
• Flour for rolling pastry

Black pudding is crumbled and arranged on pheasant breast

Method

Lay the pheasant breast presentation (smooth) sides down on a clean plate. You will see in this instance that I had left the tenders attached to the breast. This is optional but they do help secure the black pudding in place when you reach the stage of lifting your assemblies on to the pastry. Ensure you remove any remaining plastic rind from the black pudding slices before gently squeezing/crumbling them that you can fit one on each pheasant breast in a single layer as shown. Do not include too much as this could cause the pasties to burst in the oven and it is better to have a little left over black pudding.

Pheasant tender is folded over black pudding

If you do have the pheasant tenders still attached to the breasts, fold them over as shown in the above image.

Pheasant breast is laid on rolled out pastry circle

Cut the pastry block in half and roll the halves out one at a time on a lightly floured surface to a square just large enough that you can use a 9-inch (23cm) dinner plate as a template to cut out a circle. Lay a pheasant breast and black pudding combination on one half of each circle (black pudding side down) and lightly brush the arc of the pastry around the pheasant with beaten egg.

Pastry is folded over pheasant breast

Carefully lift the empty half of the pastry up and over the pheasant breast and gently smooth it out around the edges on top of the egg washed border so that it sticks. Use either your index fingers or the handle end of a dessert spoon to carefully crimp the seal all the way around. Allow the pasties to sit and rest for the first time while your oven preheats to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

Glazed pasties ready for baking

Lay some baking/parchment paper on a baking sheet and carefully lift the pasties on to it. Glaze all over with more beaten egg and cut a half-inch steam vent in the centre with the point of a very sharp knife. Place the tray into the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the pastry is beautifully risen and golden.

Cooked pasties are left to rest

Take the tray from the oven and lift the cooked pasties with a large spatula to a cooling rack or plate. Allow to rest for a minimum 15 minutes before serving.

Pheasant Breast Schnitzel with Roasties

 

Pheasant schnitzel with roast potatoes, sprouts and cranberry sauce

A schnitzel for many people will immediately conjure up images of the famous Austrian dish, Wiener Schnitzel, made from a fillet of pounded veal coated in breadcrumbs before being fried. While that is understandable, schnitzels of many different type are popular in Austria and particularly Southern Germany, where you will find them regularly in restaurants made with everything from pork or beef to turkey. The breast fillets from wild game birds such as pheasants are perfect for schnitzels as the cooking and preparation method helps prevent the ultra lean meat overcooking and becoming tough.

Cook Time

Prep time: 15 min (plus 30 min cooling time for boiled potatoes)

Cook time: 1 hour

Ready in: 1 hour 45 min

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 5 medium sized baby potatoes, or as desired
• Salt
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1 skinless pheasant breast fillet
• Black pepper
• Dried tarragon
• 1 egg, beaten 
• 2 tablespoons plain/all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• 6 to 8 Brussels sprouts, or as desired 
• Cranberry sauce as required
• 1 lemon wedge to garnish

Method

Wash the potatoes but leave them whole and unpeeled. Put them into a pot of cold, salted water and bring the water to a simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are just softened. Drain, set aside and allow to cool completely (minimum of 30 minutes but longer is fine).

Pour enough vegetable oil into a medium casserole dish or similar to fill it to a depth of around 0.5" (1.25cm) and place the dish into your cold oven. Put the oven on to preheat to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

Pheasant breast is firstly seasoned

Season the pheasant breast on both sides with salt, pepper and some dried tarragon. The tarragon is of course optional or could be substituted with the likes of thyme, if preferred.

Pheasant breast in freezer bag for pounding

Place the seasoned pheasant breast in a plastic freezer bag, comfortably large enough to contain it. Sit the bag on a hard surface such as a chopping board and use a small rolling pin or similar to gently pound the breast to an even thickness of about 0.5" (1.25cm).

Prepared schnitzel is left to rest before frying

Put the breadcrumbs, flour and beaten egg in to 3 different, similarly sized, semi-deep and suitable plates/bowls. Pat the pheasant breast on both sides in the flour before dredging in the egg and patting on both sides in the breadcrumbs. Dredge again in the egg and pat a second time in the breadcrumbs for an extra thick and ultimately crunchy coating. Very importantly, sit the prepared schnitzel on a plate and leave it for 15 minutes to allow the egg to seep into the breadcrumbs. If you fry it when the breadcrumbs are completely dry, they will burn on the outside and turn unpleasantly bitter to taste.

Peel/rub the skins from the cooled potatoes before adding them carefully to the hot oil, being aware of potential spitting/splashing. Turn them around in the oil with a metal spatula and cook in the oven for 30 minutes, carefully turning again every 10 to 15 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Pheasant schnitzel is shallow fried in oil

When the potatoes are about 10 minutes into their cooking time, pour  little oil into a non-stick frying pan and fry the pheasant schnitzel for 7 or 8 minutes each side over a low to medium heat. 

The cooking time of the sprouts will vary hugely, depending on their size. Do bear in mind that the most common reason for people not liking sprouts is that they are served overcooked! These medium sprouts were added to boiling, salted water for 10 minutes but this can vary a few minutes each way for smaller or larger sprouts.   

At the end of the cooking time, the pheasant meat in the schnitzel should be cooked and the breadcrumbs beautifully crisp and golden. Lift the schnitzel to a heated plate, cover with foil and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Roast potatoes are drained on kitchen paper

Lift the potatoes with the slotted spoon from the cooking dish to a deep plate or bowl lined with kitchen paper and allow to drain off for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and malt vinegar, as desired. Drain the sprouts at your sink through a colander.

Tucking in to pheasant breast schnitzel

Plate the schnitzel, with the potatoes and sprouts alongside. Add a couple of teaspoons of cranberry sauce to the plate and a lemon wedge to the top of the schnitzel to serve.