Recipe - Madeira Roast Pheasant

2 tablespoon Unsalted butter
1 (unpeeled) coarsely chopped
onion
3 Coarsely chopped celery
stalk
2 Coarsely chopped carrot
2 Bay leaf
2 tablespoon Herbs de Provence *
3 Pheasants (2 to 2One half lb)
4 Wings chicken
2 Backs chicken
1 cup Room temperature unsalted
butter
One fourth cup Madeira
1 qt Chicken broth
1 tablespoon Unsalted butter
1 tablespoon All purpose flour
Garnish sprig parsley

Preheat oven to 450 deg. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large roasting pan.
Stir in onion, celery, carrots, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon herbs de
Provence. Top with pheasant giblets, necks, chicken wings and backs. Roast
until well browned, turning frequently, about 40 minutes. Reduce oven
temperature to 375 deg.

Meanwhile, make herb butter by mixing 1 cup butter with 1 tablespoon herbs
de Provence. Pat pheasants dry inside and out. Loosen breast skin on each
by gently sliding fingers under neck flap and down between breast meat and
skin, being careful not to tear skin. Spread 1 One half tablespoons herb butter
evenly over breast under skin of each. Sprinkle each cavity with salt and
pepper. Place 2 tablespoons herb butter into each cavity. Truss pheasants
to hold shape. Arrange on sides atop vegetable mixture in roasting pan.
Roast 15 minutes, basting frequently with pan juices. Turn on second side
and roast 15 minutes, basting frequently. Turn pheasants breast side up.
Add Madeira to pan and continue roasting until juices run pale pink when
thickest part of thigh is pierced, basting frequently, about 15 minutes.
Transfer pheasants to platter and discard string. Tent with foil.

Add broth to roasting pan. Boil until reduced to 3 cups liquid, scraping up
any browned bits, about 6 minutes. Strain sauce and degrease. Melt 1
tablespoon butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir
3 minutes. Whisk in sauce in thin stream. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring
frequently. Adjusting seasoning. Pour into bowl. Garnish pheasant with
parsley. Pass sauce separately.

*Available at specialty foods stores.

(Ouida & Vince Kelly) (C) 1987 Bon Appetit Publishing Corp.

Compliments of Fred Peters

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini