Pheasant with Saupiquet Sauce

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Medium

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

• 4 pheasant breasts
• 4 pheasant legs
• 50g butter
• Splash of sunflower oil
• 4tbsp flour
• 1 tsp salt

For the sauce

• 1 medium banana shallot, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ tsp sugar
• 200ml white burgundy wine
• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 8 juniper berries, bashed
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 40 g butter
• 25g flour
• 300ml strong chicken or ham stock
• 100ml double cream

To make the sauce, put the shallots, garlic, sugar, white wine, vinegar, juniper and thyme into a small pan and simmer rapidly until you are left with about 2 tablespoons of reduced liquid then turn off the heat.

Melt the butter in another pan over a medium heat and then scatter in the flour and whisk it in for around 30 seconds to cook out the raw taste.

Pour in the wine reduction through a sieve, then rescue the juniper berries and drop them in the sauce. The mixture will clag up at first but loosen as you start adding the stock.Slowly add ladles of stock every now and then, whisking all the time. Once the stock has been added let the sauce bubble gently for ten minutes in order to reach the right consistency.

Pour in the cream and bring the sauce to the faintest simmer (do not allow it to boil) then turn off the heat. Check the seasoning. Reheat the sauce when necessary.

Preheat the oven to 190ºc fan. Melt the butter and oil in a large frying pan on the hob. Gently coat the skin side of the pheasant breasts and legs in the flour seasoned with a good amount of salt. Put all the meat, skin side down, where it should sizzle immediately on entering the pan. Colour the skin well but do not burn the butter.

Turn all the joints over and place the pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Warm the sauce.