Forest fettucine with morels and breast of pheasant

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.03

Title: Forest fettucine with morels and breast of pheasant
Categories: Poultry, Pasta, Main dish
Yield: 4 servings

---------------------------------FETTUCINE---------------------------------
1/2 oz Dried morels; -=OR=-
2 tb -Morel powder
3/4 c Semolina flour
2 Extra-large egs
2 Extra-large egg yolks
1 tb Olive oil

-----------------------------MOREL CREAM SAUCE-----------------------------
18 Dried morels
-=OR=- Fresh, if in season
1 tb Butter
2 tb Chopped shallots
1 3/4 c Heavy cream
Salt; to taste
White pepper; to taste
Nutmeg; to taste

----------------------------------GARNISH----------------------------------
24 Fiddlehead ferns
-=OR=- Asparagus tips
2 tb Butter

--------------------------------FOR PHEASANT--------------------------------
2 Pheasant breasts
- (from 3 lb pheasants)
- boned, skinned & halved
Salt
White pepper
2 tb Butter

Prepare the fettucine. Clean any soil clinging to the morel stems. Place
the mushrooms in a spice mill and grind to a fine powder. Combine the
powder with the semolina and all-purpose flours in a food processor and
process briefly to blend. Beat the eggs, egg yolks and oil together and,
with the motor running, add the mixture to the flours. Process until a neat
ball forms on top of the blade, about 45 to 60 seconds. Remove the dough
from the machine and knead for a minute on a very lightly floured surface.
Pat into a thick cylinder and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1
hour.

About 1 hour before serving time, cut the dough across into 6 pieces.
Knead, stretch, and cut each piece in a pasta machine or by hand. Spread
the fettucine on a tray dusted with semolina. Cover with a towel until
cooking time.

Prepare the sauce. Soak the mushrooms in warm water to cover for 5
minutes. (Halve and rinse fresh morels.) Drain the mushrooms, halve them
lengthwise and rinse briefly. Cut into small pieces. Heat the butter in a
skillet and add the morels and shallots. Cook over low heat until the
shallots are tender. Add the cream and simmer, stirring often, until the
sauce is lightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt, white
pepper and nutmeg to taste. The sauce can be prepared and gently reheated
just before serving.

Rub any fuzz from the fiddlehead ferns and trim the tails to leave about
1/2 inch. Drop them into boiling salted water and cook until tender, about
5 minutes. Drain well. At serving time, heat them through in the butter.

About 20 minutes before serving time, sprinkle the pheasant breasts lightly
with salt and white pepper and let them sit at room temperature until you
are ready to cook. Heat the butter in a large, heavy skillet. When it
foams, add the breasts and brown lightly for about 5 minutes. Turn and cook
over moderately low heat until they are nicely browned and barely done in
the center, about 5 more minutes. Remove them and let them sit for 5
minutes.

Drop the noodles into a large quantity of boiling salted water. Return to a
boil, stirring. Cook about 1 minute, just until tender. Drain them
thoroughly and toss with three-quarters of the sauce.

Arrange the fettucine on 4 serving plates. Slice each pheasant breast in 6
vertical slices and fan over the pasta. Top with the remaining sauce and
surround with the fiddlehead ferns.

-----