Faisan à la Mode d’Alcantara

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Narrow flexible boning knife
• •Poultry shears
• •Trussing needle or small metal skewers and kitchen twine
• •1-gallon food-safe sealing bag and rimmed tray
• •5 to 6-quart heavy oval casserole with a tight lid
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Heavy aluminum foil

Instructions

1. 1

   Bone the breast

   Work through the neck opening so the breast skin remains whole. Remove the wishbone, then use short strokes of a boning knife to free the breast flesh from the inner face of the ribs and breastbone. Snip the breast cage free at its joints and lift it out, leaving the leg and wing bones in place. You are making a pocket, not flattening the bird. If the skin is nicked, close the tear with a small skewer and kitchen twine. Ça se rattrape.

   A game butcher can bone only the breast while leaving the pheasant otherwise whole. Ask for precisely that, because a fully boned bird loses the proud shape this dish requires.
2. 2

   Prepare the filling

   Put the quartered stuffing truffles and ½ cup (120 ml) of the Port in a small saucepan. Simmer gently until the Port reduces to about ¼ cup (60 ml) and the truffles smell deep and earthy, about 5 minutes. Cool completely, then fold the truffles and their syrup through the cold foie gras with ½ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Keep the cubes distinct. If the foie gras softens or begins to look oily, stop and chill the filling for 15 minutes before continuing.

3. 3

   Stuff and marinate

   Pack the foie gras and truffle filling loosely into the boned breast cavity. Close the neck opening with skewers and twine, then truss the legs against the body without squeezing the filling out. Combine the remaining Port with the completely chilled Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168). Place the pheasant and marinade in a snug food-safe bag, press out the air, seal, and set it on a rimmed tray in a refrigerator held between 32 and 38°F (0 and 3°C). Marinate for 72 hours, turning the bag morning and evening so the bird remains covered. Alcohol is flavor, not a room-temperature safety system.

4. 4

   Drain and dry

   Lift the pheasant from the marinade and strain every drop of liquid into a saucepan. Keep it cold until reduction. Pat the bird thoroughly dry, inside every fold and around every joint, then leave it uncovered in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Season the exterior with the remaining salt and pepper. A wet pheasant cannot brown, and browning is the foundation beneath all this foie gras and truffle. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

5. 5

   Begin the poëling

   Use the home-scaled Poëlings (No. 250) preparation in its en casserole form, the butter-roasting treatment specified for a bird cooked without added liquid. Heat its butter in a heavy oval casserole over medium heat, then color the pheasant on every side until the skin is an even hazelnut bronze, about 8 minutes. Turn it carefully with two wooden spoons so the skin stays intact. Do not moisten the casserole at this stage. Liquid would turn the poëling into a braise and wash away the clean flavor of the game.

6. 6

   Roast under cover

   Set the pheasant breast up, cover the casserole, and roast for 30 minutes. Baste it with the butter in the casserole, uncover, and continue roasting for 15 to 25 minutes, until the center of the foie gras stuffing reaches 154°F (68°C). The sealed finish will carry it to its safe final temperature. If the breast is already deeply colored while the center remains cool, shield only the breast with buttered foil and keep cooking. More heat is not the answer; protection is.

7. 7

   Reduce the port

   While the pheasant roasts, bring the reserved port mixture containing Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) to a full rolling boil for 5 minutes before tasting it, because it has held raw game. Skim away any grey foam, then reduce briskly to about 1 cup (240 ml). Add the game glaze and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon in a clear, wine-dark layer. Take it off the heat and whisk in the cold butter a few cubes at a time. If the reduction becomes sticky, loosen it with a tablespoon of boiling water; if the butter beads on the surface, whisk in a teaspoon of cold water away from the heat. Ça se rattrape.

8. 8

   Seal with truffles

   Lift the pheasant briefly from its casserole and pour off the excess cooking fat, leaving the browned fond untouched. Add the port sauce and scrape the casserole floor gently to dissolve that fond. Arrange the 12 whole truffles in the sauce and set the pheasant directly over them. For the à la Souvaroff finish, meaning a sealed terrine finish, press a sheet of heavy foil over the casserole before replacing the lid. This replaces the original flour-paste seal without losing its purpose. Return the casserole to the oven for 10 minutes, or until the center of the stuffing reaches 165°F (74°C).

9. 9

   Rest and serve

   Rest the pheasant under its lid for 10 minutes. Remove the trussing, take off the legs, and carve the breasts crosswise so each slice carries pheasant, foie gras, and truffle together. Arrange the meat on a warm platter or return it to the casserole, giving each diner three whole truffles. Warm the sauce gently if necessary, but never boil it after the butter has gone in. Spoon it generously over the carved bird. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The dozen whole truffles are not decoration. They perfume the sealed casserole and become part of each serving. Fresh black truffles are magnificent in season; whole preserved truffles are the classical pantry's honest answer at other times. Truffle oil cannot do this work.
• •Use raw duck foie gras, not pâté, mousse, or a cooked torchon. The foie gras must soften inside the breast and baste it from within; a prepared pâté melts unevenly and leaves gaps in the filling.
• •Choose a fresh farmed pheasant with unbroken skin and a plump breast. The three-day marinade must remain between 32 and 38°F (0 and 3°C), and the bird should enter it on the day it is purchased or fully thawed.
• •Game glaze is powerful and often salty. Use an unsalted preparation if possible, then adjust only after the Port has reduced. A salty glaze cannot be repaired once concentrated.
• •Pour a mature, dry red Bordeaux or a structured red Burgundy. The dish already carries the sweetness of Port, so the glass should bring earth, acidity, and restraint.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare and chill the Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168), the Poëlings (No. 250) preparation, and the game glaze before beginning. Each remains a separate linked preparation and is not rebuilt inside this recipe.
• •Bone, stuff, and place the pheasant under Port exactly three days before dinner. Turn the sealed bag twice daily and keep it on a tray at 32 to 38°F (0 to 3°C).
• •On the serving evening, allow about 2½ hours for draining, surface-drying, roasting, reducing, sealing, and resting. The sauce reduction can proceed while the bird roasts.
• •Leftovers should be chilled within 2 hours and kept for no more than 2 days. Reheat them covered with a spoonful of sauce until the center reaches 165°F (74°C).

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 355g)