Pheasant Wellington recipe courtesy of TalkingGame magazine

Pheasant Wellington with confit cooked pheasant leg – Serves 2

Ingredients

1 whole pheasant
2 sprigs sage, finely chopped 2tsp dîjon mustard
500ml apple cider

Wellington
2tsp chopped thyme
2 cloves garlic, pressed
4 slices pancetta
300g readymade puff pastry at
room temperature
1 egg yolk, beaten

Pancake
100g plain flour
2 eggs
300ml milk
Mushroom duxelle
150g washed chestnut mushrooms 2 shallots, peeled & thinly sliced 60g butter
2tbs chopped tarragon

Mushroom garnish
30g washed wild mushrooms
1 shallot, thinly sliced
5g tarragon
5g chopped thyme

Artichoke garnish
50g jerusalem artichokes, peeled Juice of half a lemon
10ml cider vinegar
4 juniper berries
2 thyme stalks
2 star anise

Method

De-bone (or ask your butcher) the pheasant to give two breasts and two legs. Place the legs in a bowl and rub with the sage and mustard. Place in an ovenproof dish and cover with the cider. Cook in the oven at 140°C for 5 hours, then remove the legs from the liquid.

For the Wellington, marinade the pheasant breasts in the thyme, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Lay out two slices of pancetta on clingfilm with a marinated breast on top. Wrap the pancetta around, then roll tightly in the clingfilm, tying each end. Repeat with the other breast, leave for an hour, then place the wrapped breasts in a pan of simmering water for 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool.

Whisk together the flour, eggs and milk for the pancake. Coat an 18cm lightly oiled pan with batter, fry lightly on both sides, then leave on a rack to cool. Repeat.

Blend the mushrooms for the duxelle until fine. Melt the butter on a low heat and add the shallots, mushrooms and tarragon. Sweat down until all the moisture has evaporated (do not allow to colour), then leave to cool to room temperature.

Cut the pastry in half. Lightly flour the surface and roll out each piece of puff pastry, larger than the pancake. Brush egg yolk all over the pastry and place the pancake on top. Add a thin layer of the mushroom duxelle. Remove the pheasant breasts from the clingfilm: they should now hold in a cylinder shape. Place a breast in the centre of each and roll up all the elements together, gently twisting the ends of the pastry to secure. Wash the outside of the pastry roll with egg yolk and leave on a tray with greaseproof paper until you are ready to cook. Cook at 180°C for 14 minutes: after 4 minutes put the legs in the oven to get the skin crispy.

Place the Jerusalem artichokes in 500ml of water with the other ingredients and half a teaspoon of salt. Gently simmer until soft. Pan fry the wild mushrooms with the shallot, tarragon and thyme in olive oil.