FOOD + DRINK
JAMES PILCHER CONT .
Pheasant Wellington The Ferry House
The start of the game season spells the beginning of autumn on Harty and wild birds such as duck and pheasant from our estate shoot will often be on the dining menu . Pheasant is a truly wild and nutritious meat , but it can be challenging to cook , sometimes resulting in a tough and dry meat . Brining the meat gives a tender and moist result which is perfect wrapped in buttery flaky pastry with a classic mushroom duxelles filling .
When buying pheasant , look for young birds ; they have a lighter flavour and a more tender texture .
Serves 2 Ingredients :
• 2 large pheasant breasts , skinned
• 250g wild or brown mushrooms
• 6 slices of Parma ham or prosciutto
• 50g butter
• 2 tbsp of oil
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• Salt and pepper
For the brine :
• 40g fine sea salt
• 2 tablespoons juniper berries , lightly crushed
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 500ml water
For the flaky pastry :
• 500g block of rolled flaky or puff pastry
Method :
1 . Begin with the brine . Combine all the ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil . Immediately remove from the heat and leave to cool . When cold , pour into a lidded container and chill thoroughly .
2 . Put the pheasant breasts in the brine and leave for two hours , any longer and the meat can take on a mushy texture . After the time is up , drain and pat dry .
3 . To make the duxelles , put the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse chop to a fine consistency . Heat the oil and butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat for about 10 minutes , stirring in the thyme leaves and seasoning towards the end of cooking . You want to cook off as much liquid as possible from the mushrooms . Leave to cool .
4 . In a hot pan , sear the pheasant breasts in a little oil and butter until golden brown on both sides . Leave to cool .
5 . To make two individual Wellingtons , roll the pastry out to 5mm thick and cut into two . Lay the ham on to the pastry and spread over half of the mushroom duxelles and the pheasant breast . Top the pheasant with the rest of the duxelles . Encase the filling with the pastry to make a parcel , crimping or decorating as you like . Place on a shallow roasting tray lined with baking paper and chill in the fridge until ready to cook .
6 . Pre-heat the oven to 180 ° C .
7 . Brush the Wellingtons with a little beaten egg and bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden brown .
8 . Serve the pheasant Wellingtons with a celeriac gratin , cavolo nero and hedgerow jelly .
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