Oven-Braised Pheasant with Sauerkraut

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Title: Oven-Braised Pheasant with Sauerkraut
Categories: Meats, Poultry, Ceideburg
Yield: 6 servings

Stephen Ceideburg
2 sl Lean bacon, diced
2 Pheasants, 2 lb each *
3 lb Sauerkraut, thoroughly
-rinsed and drained
1 1/2 c Dry white wine
1 ts Juniper berries (about 20)
1/2 ts Dried thyme or I sprig fresh
2 Cloves
1 Bay leaf
Defatted chicken stock or
-water
Salt and freshly ground
-black pepper to taste

* skinned, trimmed of fat and cut into serving pieces (backbones
included)

A favorite of Jean-Lours Gerin, the chef of Restaurant Jean- Louis in
Greenwich, Connecticut, this dish makes use of both legs and breasts,
and the simple presentation is quite elegant. It is difficult to
overcook this dish; it improves with long simmering. Steer clear of
canned sauerkraut, which can taste tinny, and look for brands with no
preservatives other than salt.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large Dutch oven, saute bacon over
medium heat until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Add legs, backs and wings and
brown in batches on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. (Refrigerate breast
pieces, covered, until needed.) Add sauerkraut, wine, Juniper
berries, thyme, cloves and bay leaf to the Dutch oven. Cook over
medium heat until about half the liquid has evaporated, about 10 to
15 minutes. Place the Dutch oven in the oven, uncovered.

Bake for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding liquid as
needed, until the legs are tender and the sauerkraut is slightly
browned. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven, discard backs, wings
and bay leaf, season to taste, cover and keep warm. Raise the oven
temperature to 425 degrees F. Salt and pepper pheasant breasts and
place them on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast them for 20 to 25
minutes, or until juices run clear when they are pierced with a fork.
Remove the breasts from the roasting pan, set aside and keep warm.
Reheat the legs in the Dutch oven briefly. Slice the meat from the
breasts and lay it over the legs and sauerkraut.

293 CALORIES PER SERVING: 40 G PROTEIN, 10 G FAT, 11 G CARBOHYDRATE;
840 MG SODIUM; 111 MG CHOLESTEROL.

From "Eating Well", Jan/Feb, 1992.

Posted by Stephen Ceideburg

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