French Pheasant with Apple and Sherry
French Pheasant and Apple Bake with Sherry
French Pheasant and Apple Bake with Sherry
Serves 4
This is another GUEST RECiPE which I found in the Daily Mail and it is quite delicious served with creamy mashed potatoes and cabbage - I love the Sweetheart Cabbages, which have a delicous mild and sweet flavour.
You can add wholegrain mustard to make a more special mash!
As with most recipes, the pheasant breasts can be substituted with chicken, pork chops etc.
Ingredients
4 apples (such as Jazz or Pink Lady), quartered and de-pipped, or you could simply slice them thickly but the cooking time will be shorter for the first part of the Bake
3tbsp olive oil
Knob of salted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large Spanish onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic clove, chopped
4 pheasant breasts (you could substitute with chicken breasts, thick pork cutlets etc)
200ml (7fl oz) medium dry sherry
200ml (7fl oz) chicken stock
75ml (2½fl oz) double cream or crème fraîche
2 bay leaves
A few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary, to garnish
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5.
- Put the apple quarters into a large roasting dish, drizzle with 1tbsp oil, butter and seasoning. If you prefer, you could slice the apples thickly but you might only need to roast them for a few minutes less than given in 3. below. Make sure the apples are tossed in the butter and oil before lightly seasoning.
- Roast in the oven for 10 minutes until just beginning to soften.
- Meanwhile, heat 1tbsp oil in a large pan, add the onion slices and garlic and cook slowly until soft and caramelised. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Take the apples out of the oven.
- Season the pheasant breasts and rub with olive oil. Pan-fry for 2 minutes on each side on a high heat.
- Add to the tray with the roasted apples, together with the onions and garlic.
- Add the sherry to the pan you fried the cutlets in, and cook on a medium heat, scraping up all the browned bits from the pan, before adding the stock, cream and bay leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour over the pork and apples, add sprigs of rosemary and thyme, or use dried herbs, season and bake for 10 minutes until the pork is cooked.
- FInally, serve with creamy mashed potatoes - essential to have with this wonderful and flavoursome sauce (and for added interest, you can stir a few tsps of whole grain mustard into the mash) and shredded steamed cabbage, dotted with butter and with freshly ground black pepper.