Faisan en Daube

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1½ to 2-quart lidded oval terrine or narrow casserole
• •Small food processor
• •Digital instant-read thermometer
• •Boning knife
• •Trussing needle and kitchen twine, or bamboo skewers
• •Fine-mesh sieve and cheesecloth or a clean lint-free napkin
• •Two broad spatulas

Instructions

1. 1

   Scale the preparation

   The governing preparation is Poularde En Terrine à la Gelée (No. 1701), but pheasant is smaller and leaner than pullet. Keep its sequence and proportions, shortening only the cooking. Ask the butcher to bone the pheasant through the back without cutting the breast skin, leaving the leg bones attached; inspect a wild bird carefully for shot, then pat it dry and keep it cold. Reserve the carcass and wings for the jelly.

2. 2

   Build the chicken jelly

   Reserve 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the chicken stock in the cold. Put the remaining stock, pheasant carcass, and wings in a small saucepan, bring them just to a simmer, and cook gently under a partly closed lid for 35 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing nothing, then reduce or top up with water to leave 1 cup (240 ml). Cool and refrigerate it until needed. This concentrated stock is the home equivalent of the chicken jelly once kept ready beside the classical stove.

3. 3

   Make the gratin farce

   Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken livers quickly on both sides while leaving their centers pink, then cool them completely and weigh out 2 ounces (55 g). Pulse the cold veal, pork fat, and browned liver until finely cohesive but not warm. Add the brandy, truffle juice, egg yolk, ¾ teaspoon of the salt, and ½ teaspoon of the pepper, then pulse only until combined. Fry a teaspoonful until fully cooked and taste it cold enough not to burn you; the seasoning should be decisive because chilling mutes it. If the farce looks oily or smeared, stop. Ça se rattrape: chill it for 15 minutes, then stir firmly until it binds again.

4. 4

   Rebuild the pheasant

   Lay the pheasant skin-side down and season the flesh with the remaining salt and pepper. Spread half the farce along the center without forcing it into the legs. Lay in the foie gras batons and arrange two truffle quarters along each side, so every eventual slice catches some of both. Cover with the remaining farce, draw the bird closed around it, and secure the back seam with a trussing needle and twine or closely spaced bamboo skewers. Shape it back into a compact bird and truss the legs against the body. Do not overfill or pull the skin drum-tight; the farce expands slightly as it cooks.

5. 5

   Seal and poêlé

   Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Rub a snug 1½ to 2-quart terrine with the remaining butter, lay in the pheasant breast-side up, and cover the exposed skin completely with the bacon. Pour the Madeira around, not over, the bird. Press parchment onto the terrine, cover tightly with foil, and add the lid so the cooking liquor cannot escape. Cook for 50 minutes before checking the center of the farce with a thermometer, then continue in 5-minute intervals until it reaches 165°F (74°C), usually 50 to 65 minutes in total. If the Madeira has nearly vanished, the seal leaked; add ¼ cup (60 ml) of the enriched stock and close the terrine tightly again. The pullet's longer timing is not the dish, and keeping it here would only dry the pheasant.

6. 6

   Half-cool in liquor

   Leave the pheasant in its covered cooking liquor for 30 to 40 minutes, until warm rather than hot. Lift it carefully with two broad spatulas, remove the bacon, twine, and skewers, and set it on a tray. Strain the cooking liquor through a dampened clean napkin or double layer of cheesecloth, but do not skim away its fat. Wash and dry the terrine, then return the bird to it. If the bird feels too fragile to move intact, let it rest another 10 minutes in the liquor before trying again.

7. 7

   Set the Madeira jelly

   Sprinkle the gelatin over the reserved 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of cold stock and leave it for 5 minutes. Warm the strained cooking liquor with the enriched stock until fluid but not boiling, remove it from the heat, and stir in the bloomed gelatin until perfectly dissolved. Taste and correct the salt while the jelly is warm, remembering that it will taste quieter when cold. Put a spoonful on a chilled saucer for 5 minutes; it should hold softly when the saucer tilts. If it still runs, bloom the optional extra gelatin in 1 tablespoon of cold water and dissolve it into the liquor. Pour the lukewarm jelly around the pheasant until it is just covered. If the bird floats, hold it briefly with a small parchment-covered saucer, remove the weight once the jelly begins to thicken, and top up the surface.

8. 8

   Chill and serve

   Refrigerate the terrine uncovered until completely cold, then cover and leave it undisturbed for at least 24 hours. At serving time, lift away the opaque fat cap from the firm jelly with a cold spoon and wipe the terrine rim clean. Bring it to the table on a chilled platter, cut thick crosswise slices with a sharp knife dipped in hot water, and give each serving some of the clear Madeira jelly. The foie gras should sit pale and rich at the center, the truffle dark against it, and the pheasant should hold without crumbling. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order the pheasant and arrange the boning with your butcher in advance. The skin must remain whole enough to enclose the filling, and the leg bones stay in to preserve the bird's shape.
• •Black truffle juice from a good preserved truffle is the honest pantry answer when fresh truffle is unavailable. Use the truffle and its liquid together. Truffle-flavored oil has neither the depth nor the clean finish this cold farce requires.
• •Keep the veal, pork fat, liver, processor bowl, and blade cold. Warm fat smears instead of binding, leaving a greasy farce with a crumbly cut face.
• •The chilled-saucer test settles the gelatin question before the jelly reaches the bird. Too soft can be reinforced; too firm becomes rubbery and must be loosened with more concentrated stock.
• •Serve with thin toast and a lightly dressed bitter-leaf salad if this is the main course. A dry Loire Chenin Blanc has enough freshness for the jelly and enough body for the foie gras.

Advance Preparation

• •Arrange for the butcher to bone the pheasant before cooking day. The carcass and wings should come home with the bird because they strengthen the chicken jelly.
• •The terrine requires at least 24 hours in the refrigerator after the jelly is poured. Making it one or two days before the dinner improves both its flavor and its ability to slice cleanly.
• •Keep the finished terrine covered at 40°F (4°C) or colder and serve it within three days. Return it to the refrigerator promptly after slicing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)