Poached pheasant breast with mushroom couscous

Poached breast of pheasant, mushroom and shallot couscous

This turned out to be rather dry and the couscous very plain.  Must look for another pheasant recipe.  If you have a good one please let me know!!
UPDATE (by me). I am going to try a similar version in my pot chicken brick thing, I recently roasted a whole pheasant in it and it was moist succulent and delicious

THE pheasant-shooting season is at its height, so if you have yet to discover what a simple and versatile bird this is, now's the time. Pheasant is high in protein but - thanks to all that flying around - low on fat, with a rich gamey flavour.

This recipe for poached breast of pheasant, mushroom and shallot couscous has been created by Ian McNaught, of the Roman Camp Country House Hotel & Restaurant, Callander. He says: "Pheasant is often underrated, but it's inexpensive and versatile. It's a great alternative to chicken." Once you have bagged your pheasant - or been to the supermarket - this recipe should take well under half an hour to make.

Poached breast of pheasant, mushroom and shallot couscous

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 8 shallots

• 1 litre fresh chicken stock

• 500g mixed mushrooms

• 200g couscous

• 4 pheasant breasts

Method

Peel and slice the shallots and place them in a frying pan with a little chicken stock and cook for five minutes. Bring the remaining stock to the boil in another pan. Meanwhile, trim and chop the mushrooms, reserving the trimmings.

Put the mushrooms into the pan with the shallots and cook for a further five minutes. Put the couscous into a large bowl, add the mushroom and shallot mixture, pour over 400 ml (just under half) of the boiling chicken stock and leave for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally with a fork.

Season the pheasant breasts with salt and pepper and place them into the pan of stock along with the mushroom trimmings and poach gently for 7-12 minutes, then remove them from the stock and keep warm. Reduce the remaining stock to about 100-150ml until it is of sauce consistency, sieve it to remove the mushroom trimmings and check the seasoning. Check couscous for seasoning and place on to heated plates, top with the pheasant breasts, spoon the reduced chicken stock around.

Roman Camp Country House Hotel & Restaurant, Callander, Perthshire; 01877 330003, mail@roman-camp-hotel.co.uk.


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Toffee apple crumble

Excellent variation on traditional apple crumble. Quantities seemed excessive so I made about 50% quantity of spice and dried fruit, 4 apples and about 75% crumble mix which provided 5 ample portions. I did over cook it a bit as it was in with the Yorkshire puds (too hot) so the sugars caramelised, which just added to it really.

Altogether more successful than last weeks miserable pork curry which has now been removed in the Hope of finding a tastier alternative,


For the apple layer
100g raisins
100g pitted soft dates, snipped into small pieces with scissors
85g light muscovado sugar
3 tbsp dark rum (or use orange juice)
25g unsalted butter
1 tsp mixed spice
zest and juice 1 lemon
4 Bramley apples, about 800g, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm rings

For the crumble
125g plain flour
100g unsalted butter
50g light muscovado sugar
3 tbsp jumbo oats
25g flaked almonds (or use other nuts if you like)
custard or ice cream, to serve

Method

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put everything for the apple layer, except the lemon juice and apples, into a bowl and microwave on High for 1½ mins until the butter has melted and the sugar is syrupy. Toss in the apples and lemon juice, then spoon into a medium baking dish, making sure the dried fruit is evenly distributed.
Rub the flour and butter together, first into fine crumbs, then keep going until the mix forms bigger clumps, a bit like a rough biscuit dough. Stir in the sugar, oats and almonds. Scatter over the fruit, then cover with foil and bake for 1 hr, removing the foil for the final 30 mins, until golden and bubbling. Rest for 10 mins, then serve with custard or ice cream.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2013


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Location:BBC good food