Faisan à la Bohémienne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3-quart lidded oval earthenware terrine
• •Medium heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Deep basin or roasting pan for the ice bath
• •Chilled metal serving tray

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the gelée

   Reserve 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g) of the cold stock and sprinkle the 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 21 g) gelatin evenly over it. Leave it for 10 minutes to bloom. Bring the remaining 3 1/2 cups (830 ml / 830 g) stock to a lively simmer and reduce it to about 3 cups (710 ml / 710 g), concentrating its game flavour without making it salty. Remove the pan from the heat, whisk in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved, then pass the gelée through a fine strainer. Taste while warm. It should be distinctly savoury and slightly more seasoned than you want at the table, because chilling will quiet it.

   Chill a teaspoonful on a saucer in the freezer for 10 minutes. It should set firmly but tremble when nudged. If it remains syrupy, bloom the reserved 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 3.5 g) gelatin in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) cold water, melt it into the warm gelée, and test again. Ça se rattrape. Once gelatin is added, never let the gelée boil.
2. 2

   Cook the referenced pheasant

   Prepare the Faisan à la Bohémienne (No. 1831) exactly as its own entry directs, using the 3-quart earthenware terrine as the cooking vessel rather than a saucepan. Keep its seasonings, filling, butter-cooking, and sequence intact. Before the finish, verify that both the thickest part of the thigh and the centre of the filling have reached 165°F (74°C); if either is cooler, cover the terrine and continue cooking gently, checking every 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Fill with warm gelée

   Hold the gelée at 105 to 115°F (40 to 46°C), warm enough to flow but not hot enough to melt unnecessary fat into the jelly. When the referenced preparation reaches its burnt-brandy finish, remove the excess cooking butter as directed there, apply the brandy, and immediately pour gelée slowly down the side of the terrine. Complete the prescribed addition of reduced game gravy, then add enough gelée to fill the vessel to within 1/4 inch (6 mm) of its rim. Tap the terrine gently against a folded towel to release trapped air. If the gelée begins setting in the saucepan, warm it gently until fluid again. Do not boil it.

4. 4

   Cool and set

   Let the terrine stand for 10 minutes, then place it in a basin of cool water reaching halfway up its sides. Add the ice gradually so the earthenware isn't shocked, and replenish it as it melts. Once the terrine is no longer warm, within 2 hours, transfer it uncovered to the refrigerator. Cover when the surface has set, then leave it undisturbed for 24 to 48 hours. The gelée should become clear enough to show the burnished bird beneath and firm enough to cut cleanly.

5. 5

   Remove every trace of fat

   Keep the terrine cold while you clean its surface. Lift away the solid cap of butter and fat with a spoon, taking shallow strokes so you don't gouge the jelly. Bring the 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g) water to a boil, spoon a tablespoon across the remaining greasy patches, then tilt the terrine and drain it off immediately. Repeat only where needed. These are quick scaldings, not a soak. If the gelée softens, stop and refrigerate it for 15 minutes before continuing. Carefully wipe the rim and outside of the terrine dry.

6. 6

   Serve from the terrine

   Set the wiped terrine on a chilled metal tray over a shallow bed of crushed ice. At the table, cut through the gelée around the bird, carve portions of breast and leg meat, then divide the truffled foie gras filling and spoon some savoury jelly beside each serving. The gelée should tremble on the plate, not collapse into liquid. Keep the terrine chilled whenever it isn't being served. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a small, properly handled pheasant from a reliable game dealer. A frozen farmed bird is perfectly sound if thawed slowly under refrigeration; don't attempt to hang or age a bird in a home kitchen.
• •Game stock gives the deepest gelée, but a strong brown chicken stock made from roasted bones is the honest home equivalent. Keep it unsalted until after reduction, since salt concentrates faster than gelatin does.
• •Fit matters. The terrine should hold the bird closely while leaving room for roughly 3 cups (710 ml / 710 g) of gelée. In an oversized vessel the jelly overwhelms the pheasant; in a cramped one it cannot surround and preserve it.
• •Cold suppresses seasoning. The freezer-saucer test checks flavour as well as texture, so correct weak stock before it meets the bird. Salt added at the table cannot repair a bland gelée.
• •Serve with brut Champagne or a restrained white Burgundy. You need acidity beside the foie gras and butter, not sweetness piled upon richness.
• •Keep the finished terrine at or below 40°F (4°C). Return it to refrigeration within 2 hours of serving and eat the remainder within 3 days.

Advance Preparation

• •The stock can be reduced and strengthened with gelatin a day ahead. Chill it, then remelt it gently to 105 to 115°F (40 to 46°C) before the pheasant reaches its brandy finish.
• •Complete the terrine 24 to 48 hours before serving. This rest is part of the method: the jelly sets firmly, the flavours settle, and the surface fat becomes easy to remove.
• •Remove the fat and perform the final scaldings about 30 minutes before serving, then return the terrine to the refrigerator while you chill its tray and prepare the shallow ice bed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 330g)