Delivering pheasant to presidents

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MCT) - The pheasant served at white tablecloth restaurants and President Barack Obama's inaugural luncheon bears little resemblance to the game bird that hunters flush out of cornfields and brushy thickets.

A restaurant-bound pheasant is white _ prized because white pin feathers don't stain the skin on the meat. A wild pheasant is recognized for its color.

The wild bird also may taste gamy because it may be older and has to forage for whatever it can find. The restaurant-bound bird is young and fed a steady diet of corn and soybeans.

If you've never sampled pheasant _ the kind you buy at the store or a restaurant _ it's a special-occasion dinner for two, perfect for Valentine's Day, when one might not hesitate to spend $20 for a 2- to 3-pound bird before it's even cooked. The mild-tasting meat is similar to other poultry but tastes a bit richer.

"People tell us pheasant tastes like chicken," said Mary Jo Bergs, who handles sales and marketing for MacFarlane Pheasants Inc. of Janesville, Wis. "I laugh and say, 'It's what chicken wishes it tasted like.'"

The pheasant on Obama's luncheon plate came from MacFarlane, and now the Janesville farm has a sign out front proclaiming: "Serving pheasant to our president." The farm also sent pheasant to the White House three years ago for a dinner hosted by then-President George W. Bush, according to Bergs.

MacFarlane Pheasants Inc. expects further national attention in March, when the farm is expected to be featured on a segment of the Food Network series "Will Work for Food," Bergs said.

Most people have never seen a white pheasant, the standard meat bird raised by commercial pheasant farms. MacFarlane, which bills itself as the largest pheasant farm in North America, raises several breeds in addition to white, including the common ring-neck popular with hunting clubs. About one-fourth of the company's business is meat pheasants; the rest are raised for hunting clubs and game farms.

A pheasant is less meaty than a chicken of similar size because genetically, it's still a wild game bird, Bergs said. It hasn't been modified through breeding to be meaty in the way that turkeys and chickens have.

Only farm-raised pheasants processed at government-inspected facilities may be served in restaurants, Bergs said.

MacFarlane Pheasants, which started in 1929, sends live birds and processed birds all over the country through distributors and its Web site, www.pheasant.com.

Whole Foods carries MacFarlane's pheasant, which means the pheasant company must meet humane standards for animal treatment set by the natural foods store, Bergs said.

MacFarlane's list of restaurant clients includes Milwaukee's Sanford Restaurant and Chicago's venerable Blackbird and Spiaggia, along with the trendy Sepia. You'll find MacFarlane pheasant in restaurants from Boston to New York and California, according to Bergs.

Nueske's Applewood Smoked Meats in Wittenberg, Wis., buys pheasant from McFarlane and applies its trademark smoking. Another Wisconsin pheasant farm does its own applewood smoking.

Toubl Game Bird Farms of Beloit, Wis., raises pheasant and processes everything on site from pheasant sausages and pheasant meat sticks to pheasant egg rolls, smoked pheasant and oven-ready pheasant.

Toubl sells its pheasant via mail-order, its Web site, www.toubl.com, and at several Wisconsin stores.

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In the Milwaukee area, you'll find Toubl pheasant at Woodman's, some Sendik's stores and Grasch Foods.

Thanksgiving and Christmas traditionally are the bestselling occasions for pheasant, said Jeff Zuern, Grasch Foods meat department manager.

Grasch carries Toubl whole frozen smoked pheasants for $9.99 per pound (each weighs 2˝ to 3 pounds) and whole (non-smoked) frozen pheasants for $6.89 per pound. MacFarlane's pheasant breasts at Grasch cost $18.99 per pound.

Woodman's stores carry smoked, oven-ready pheasant and snack sticks.

Tower Chicken in Milwaukee also carries frozen whole pheasant and pheasant breasts.

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Pheasant is much more expensive than chicken because pheasants are raised 16 to 18 weeks before processing, more than twice as long as chickens, said Karen Toubl, co-owner of Toubl.

"We have double the feed costs, and more money is invested to get the bird to maturity."

The primary difference between pheasant and chicken is that pheasant meat is a little drier, Toubl said.

"You don't cook it as high a heat, and you baste it to add liquid."

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Toubl started in 1969 when co-owner Jan Toubl bought three pheasants to train his Irish setter. The family started out selling live pheasants to small hunting clubs, but a brutal 1982 winter cost them hunting club contracts. So they started smoking pheasants to sell processed birds, in addition to live birds.

Toubl started making its unusual pheasant egg rolls after another business temporarily used the Toubl pheasant processing facility to make pork egg rolls.

The pork egg roll business folded, so the Toubls substituted their own white meat in a new egg roll venture.

After all, pheasant originated in China.

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These recipes were tested using farm-raised pheasants.

If you're ambitious, and have two days to spend with a complex recipe, here's a challenging pheasant dish (pictured on the cover) from Sandy D'Amato, chef and co-owner of Sanford Restaurant.

SEARED BREAST OF PHEASANT WITH DRIED PLUMS, LEEKS AND LEMON MOLASSES AND CRISPY CRUMB BREAD SAUCE

Makes 4 servings

2 ˝ cups white wine

3 shallots, sliced thin (2 to 3 ounces)

6 sprigs parsley

4 sprigs thyme

12 juniper berries, crushed

25 peppercorns, crushed

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 bay leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 pheasants (about 3 pounds each)

Stock (see recipe) Crispy bread crumbs (see recipe)

Salt and pepper

1 small onion (8 ounces), coarsely chopped

1 small carrot (3 ounces), coarsely chopped

1 celery rib (2 ounces), coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Molasses glaze (see recipe)

Leeks (see recipe)

On the first day:

Combine ingredients for marinade (wine through bay leaves) in a medium container and set aside.

Break down pheasants (or ask your butcher to): Remove wings and reserve for stock. Remove legs (optional; separate leg and thigh; thighs can be reserved for another purpose). Remove breasts from rib cage, keeping wing bone attached. Save bones for stock.

Place breasts and legs in marinade, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare stock.

Prepare crispy bread crumbs.

On the second day:

Remove meat from marinade and pat dry with paper towels.

Strain marinade into a saucepan, reserving vegetables. Bring marinade to a boil, then remove from heat and strain through cheesecloth. Refrigerate breasts.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Season legs with salt and pepper and brown in metal 13-by-9-inch pan over low heat on stovetop, 2 to 3 minutes per side with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Remove legs and set aside at room temperature.

Add onion, carrot and celery rib to pan and cook over low heat to lightly caramelize. Add reserved vegetables from marinade and cook another 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste and cook another minute. Deglaze with reserved marinade and cook about 2 to 3 minutes. Add pheasant legs and stock and cover with foil. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Place in preheated oven and braise about 2˝ hours. Meat should be fork-tender, but not falling apart. Remove legs, strain sauce into saucepot and reduce to 1˝ cups. While sauce is reducing, remove tendons from legs at the top of the drumsticks. Reserve legs in reduced sauce until ready to use.

Prepare leeks.

Prepare pheasant breasts: Remove from refrigerator. Season with salt and pepper and saute, skin side down over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes.

Turn breasts so each rests on wing bone. Cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn again, so skin side is up and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from pan and brush generously with molasses glaze.

Return to pan and cook 30 seconds per side.

To serve: Divide leeks among 4 plates, top with leg and breast, and drizzle with sauce. Sprinkle top with crispy crumbs.

STOCK:

Bones reserved from recipe above

1 onion, quartered

1 carrot, coarsely chopped

2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped

˝ cup tomato paste 1 cup white wine

2 ˝ cups chicken stock

3 cloves garlic

6 thyme sprigs

10 parsley sprigs

4 bay leaves

1 teaspoon peppercorns

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Chop remaining bones (from above recipe) into 1 to 2-inch pieces and roast in 13-by-9-inch pan in preheated oven 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Add vegetables to bones and roast another 10 to 15 minutes. Add tomato paste and roast 10 to 15 minutes more. Add wine, chicken stock, garlic, herbs and spices and return to oven to heat very gently 1 to 2 hours. Strain and refrigerate overnight. Remove fat from top when ready to use.

CRISPY BREAD CRUMBS:

1/3 cup bread crumbs

5 teaspoons molasses glaze (see recipe) 2 teaspoons clarified butter

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and spread on parchment-lined sheet tray. Dry in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes. Set aside.

MOLASSES GLAZE:

˝ cup molasses

2 tablespoons lemon juice ˝ teaspoon salt

˝ teaspoon black pepper

In small bowl, combine all ingredients.

LEEKS:

Ľ cup chopped dried prunes

2 tablespoons Armagnac or other brandy

5 medium leeks, cleaned and chopped (5 cups packed) 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

˝ teaspoon black pepper

Zest of ˝ lemon (1 tablespoon)

Ľ cup plus 2 tablespoons white wine

Soak prunes in Armagnac or brandy about 20 minutes.

In large saute pan over high heat, saute leeks with olive oil 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add zest and wine. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring constantly, and reduce until dry. Toss in plums and cook 1 minute more.

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This dish was served during President Barack Obama's inaugural luncheon, featuring pheasant breast from MacFarlane Pheasants on the south side of Janesville.

HERB-ROASTED PHEASANT WITH WILD RICE STUFFING

Makes 5 servings

˝ pound long-grain wild rice

1 quart chicken stock or canned chicken broth

1 carrot, diced

Ľ onion, diced

1 tablespoon roasted garlic

Ľ cup finely diced dried apricot

5 boneless pheasant breasts, tenders removed (see note)

Ľ cup olive oil mixed with about a teaspoon each of chopped fresh rosemary, thyme and sage

˝ tablespoon salt and pepper mixture

In pot, combine rice and chicken stock; bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook according to package directions until rice is soft and most of liquid has been absorbed.

Add carrot, onion, garlic and apricot to rice. Cook until vegetables are soft and all liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally to avoid burning, about half an hour. Grease ovenproof baking dish and place wild rice mixture in dish. Refrigerate until cold.

In food processor, puree pheasant tenders to a paste consistency to use as a binder for rice mixture.

When rice is cool, add pheasant puree to rice until well mixed. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and return to refrigerator until ready to stuff pheasant.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Make 5 small football-shaped patties of rice mixture.

Create small pocket in each breast by cutting lengthwise down the side, leaving at least 1 inch uncut on each side and on ends. Gently stuff each breast with a rice patty, being careful not to overstuff. Rub herb/oil mixture on top and bottom of pheasant and season with salt and pepper.

Place pheasant in heavy-gauge roasting pan in preheated oven. Also place in oven the remaining rice in ovenproof dish. Roast 8 to 10 minutes or until desired doneness. (See note.) Remove pheasant from oven, cover with lid or foil and allow to rest 10 minutes. Remove rice from oven. Serve pheasant over sauteed spinach, if desired.

Note: Tester roasted pheasant about 20 minutes, to reach an internal temperature of 170 degrees in thickest part of breast.

The tenders are a small strip of meat from the thickest part of each breast half.

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Tory Miller, chef at L'Etoile in Madison, Wis., suggests brining pheasant as one would a turkey before roasting. Brining results in a seasoned, juicy bird.

BRINED ROASTED PHEASANT

Makes 2 to 3 servings

1 whole pheasant (2-˝ to 3 pounds), thawed (giblets reserved for another use)

1 cup kosher salt

˝ cup sugar

1 gallon water

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole dried juniper berries 1 whole star anise

4 whole cloves

1 teaspoon whole coriander

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Rind of ˝ orange

2 cloves garlic, peeled

Ľ medium onion, peeled

In large pot, bring salt and sugar to a boil in a gallon of water so that they dissolve. Add black pepper, juniper berries, star anise, cloves and coriander and return to a simmer until fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes. Let mixture cool, then chill it. Once the water is cold, submerge the pheasant in the brine overnight in refrigerator, 8 to 12 hours.

Remove bird from brine, rinse and pat dry with paper towels, then let it air-dry on a cookie sheet or plate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Rub vegetable oil onto pheasant's skin. Stuff orange rind, garlic and onion into bird's cavity. Place pheasant on rack in roasting pan and roast in preheated oven 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees and continue roasting 45 minutes to an hour, until tender.

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This recipe can be used on a variety of fowl, both domestic and game. It comes from Toubl Game Birds Farms near Beloit.

PHEASANT WITH BRANDY

Makes 4 servings

6 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms

3 cups seasoned croutons

˝ teaspoon dried chervil

˝ teaspoon ground dried marjoram

˝ teaspoon salt

˝ teaspoon ground pepper ˝ cup orange juice (from frozen concentrate)

˝ cup red wine

6 tablespoons brandy (divided)

2 whole (2˝ to 3 pounds each) pheasants

6 strips bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees or start fire under rotisserie.

In bow, combine mushrooms, croutons, chervil, marjoram, salt and pepper. Moisten with orange juice, wine and 2 tablespoons of the brandy. Stir well and let sit until croutons absorb liquid.

Stuff birds with crouton mixture, then lay 3 strips bacon across breast of each bird. Tie in place with kitchen string. Secure on rotisserie, or place in preheated oven in 13-by-9-inch baking pan or roasting pan. Roast uncovered until done (160 degrees at leg/thigh joint), about 45 minutes per pound of raw bird, basting every half-hour or so to add moisture to meat. Oven times may vary, so check with an accurate thermometer whenever you baste the bird.

Remove pheasant from oven and let rest, covered with foil, while warming 4 tablespoons brandy in small saucepan. Ignite brandy and very carefully pour flaming brandy over birds.

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© 2009, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.