Most of the recipes I post are for game that can be harvested in Alaska, although almost every recipe works with deer, elk, moose, etc. This month's recipe is special. First, it's for pheasant, and there are no wild pheasants in Alaska. Second, the recipe is perfectly suited for holiday dinners, and this year it will be my Thanksgiving meal.
As I write this, my son and I are only a couple of days away from a trip to Montana, my second-favorite state. We will spend a few days pheasant hunting and then wrap up the trip with a late fall fly-fishing trip. I know it's a bit presumptuous to plan on a pheasant dinner when we haven't even hunted yet, but Montana has never let us down.
INGREDIENTS
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pheasants, quartered, with breasts split and thigh and leg portions separate
1 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper
4 large shallots or 8 full green onions, finely chopped (½ cup)
4 small portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup Calvados liqueur
1 green apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup dried currants
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
PREPARATION
Dredge pheasant in seasoned flour, then cook the pieces in 3 tablespoons melted butter over moderate heat, turning once, until browned (approximately 8 minutes). Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
Melt the remaining butter and add shallots/onions. Cook over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes. Add vinegar, chicken stock, and Calvados and cook 5 more minutes until slightly reduced. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, then add apples and heavy cream and bring everything to a simmer. Add the pheasant, currants, and tarragon to the skillet and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
SERVING
This goes well served over mashed potatoes. Layer pheasant pieces over potatoes and smother with the sauce.
I like to serve this with steamed carrots seasoned with melted butter and a little nutmeg.
This recipe scales well—for four pheasants, just double it and enjoy.