Faisan à la Crème

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 5-quart lidded saucepan or low casserole, oven-safe
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine
• •Large basting spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the pheasant

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Pat the pheasant completely dry inside and out, tuck the wing tips underneath, and tie the legs together if the bird is not already trussed. Season the cavity and skin evenly with the salt and pepper. A wet bird dilutes the butter and colors poorly, so give the drying more attention than the trussing.

2. 2

   Color in butter

   Melt the butter in a heavy, lidded saucepan over medium heat until it foams. Add the pheasant and arrange the onion quarters around it. Turn the bird patiently for 8 to 10 minutes, letting the breast, legs, and back become butter-gold while the cut faces of the onion take light color. Do not chase a dark crust, which would make the butter bitter before the bird is cooked. If the milk solids darken too quickly, lift the pan from the heat for 30 seconds and continue over a gentler flame.

3. 3

   Cook three-quarters

   Set the pheasant breast side up, cover the saucepan, and place it in the oven. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes, opening the pan twice to spoon the butter and bird juices over the breast and legs. The bird is three-quarters done when the thickest part of the breast reads 140 to 145°F (60 to 63°C) and the thigh reads about 150 to 155°F (66 to 68°C), with the thermometer clear of bone. If it is cooler, cover and continue for 5 minutes before testing again. The cream must not go in early, or its acidity and long exposure to heat will make the sauce grainy.

   Judge the bird, not the clock. A smaller wild pheasant reaches this stage sooner than a plump farmed one.
4. 4

   Add the cream

   Whisk the sour cream until smooth. If using ordinary heavy cream, stir in the lemon juice now to sharpen it as the source directs. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cream for finishing or rescue, then whisk 2 tablespoons of the hot buttery pan juices into the remainder. Spoon the tempered cream over the pheasant and around the onion, coating the breast and legs generously. Tempering is the home cook's protection against a sudden split; it changes no flavor and preserves the source's intent.

5. 5

   Baste to the end

   Return the uncovered saucepan to the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, basting the bird with the cream every 4 to 5 minutes. The sauce should tremble gently at the edges, never boil hard. The pheasant is ready when the breast reaches 165°F (74°C), the thigh reaches at least 170°F (77°C), and the juices at the leg joint run clear. If the sauce turns grainy or releases an oily rim, do not pour it out. Ça se rattrape: transfer the bird to a warm plate, whisk the broken sauce a spoonful at a time into the reserved cold cream, then return the smooth sauce and bird to the saucepan. If more cooking is needed, lower the oven to 300°F (150°C) before continuing.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Rest the pheasant in its saucepan, loosely covered, for 10 minutes. Spoon the sauce over it once more and check the consistency: it should be nappante, coating the back of a spoon while still flowing freely. If it is too tight, loosen it with a teaspoon of warm water; if it is loose, set the pan over the lowest heat for a minute while basting, without letting the cream boil. Bring the saucepan directly to the table, carve the bird, and spoon the onion and cream over each serving. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a young, plump pheasant with flexible legs. This quick butter-and-cream method cannot tenderize an older, rangy bird; that one belongs in a salmis or a longer braise.
• •Use full-fat cultured sour cream. Its acidity is the quiet backbone of the sauce, while its fat gives it enough stability for gentle cooking. A reduced-fat substitute separates readily and leaves the sauce thin.
• •Keep the onion in quarters rather than slicing it. The large pieces perfume the butter and sweeten slowly without dissolving into an onion sauce the source never intended.
• •Serve with pommes purée, buttered noodles, or plain rice to catch the cream. A full-bodied dry white Burgundy has enough breadth for the sauce without flattening the pheasant.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for up to 2 days. Reheat covered over very low heat with a spoonful of water, turning and basting until the meat reaches 165°F (74°C); boiling will split the sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •The pheasant can be dried, seasoned, and trussed up to 12 hours ahead. Refrigerate it uncovered, then remove it 20 minutes before cooking so the surface loses its deep chill.
• •Quarter the onion and measure the cream several hours ahead, keeping both covered in the refrigerator. If using heavy cream, wait until the bird is three-quarters cooked before stirring in the lemon juice.
• •Cook this dish close to serving. A finished pheasant loses moisture when held, while the cream sauce is most stable and glossy during the first half hour after cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)