This traditional pheasant dish starts with roasted birds, then finishes them gently in a velvety white wine and stock sauce enriched with the pheasants’ livers, smoky bacon and mushrooms. The result is refined, deeply savory and ideal for autumn or winter dining.
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Overview
Preparation
35 min
Cooking
70 min
Total time
105 min
Servings
4
Marinade
No
Difficulty
Hard
Ingredients
Find the full list of ingredients and adjust quantities automatically.
Recommended cut
faisão em pedaços
Cuisine type
France
Dish profile
Slow-cooked, rich, strong sauce
Adjust quantities
Quantities update automatically.
portions
Preparation
25 min
Preheat the oven to 240°C. Generously butter a roasting dish, place the pheasants inside, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly browned but not fully cooked through.
10 min
Meanwhile, finely chop the shallots, carrots and onion. Blanch the bacon lardons in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and set aside.
20 min
Melt 30 g of the butter in a heavy casserole over low heat. Add the shallots, carrots and onion and cook gently for 5 minutes without letting them color. Add the thyme and bay leaf, sprinkle over the flour, and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Pour in the hot chicken stock and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
20 min
Remove the pheasants from the oven. Cut each bird into serving pieces. Transfer the pieces to a buttered sauté pan, cover, and cook over very low heat for about 20 minutes until just tender. Reserve the carcasses for the sauce.
6 min
In the pheasant roasting dish, sauté the mushrooms and blanched bacon over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly colored and the mushrooms have released their moisture. Set aside.
6 min
Deglaze the roasting dish with the white wine, scraping up all the caramelized juices. Boil until reduced by about half, then pour into the casserole with the vegetable base. Crush the reserved pheasant carcasses into several pieces and add them to the casserole along with the finely chopped pheasant livers. Heat gently, stirring until the sauce returns to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes more.
12 min
Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, pressing well to extract all the flavor. Return the sauce to the heat, season with salt and pepper, stir in the Cognac, then whisk in 40 g butter a little at a time for a glossy finish. Add the mushrooms and bacon back to the sauce, then pour everything over the pheasant pieces and warm through gently for 3 to 4 minutes.
8 min
Fry the bread slices in the remaining butter until golden on both sides. Arrange the pheasant on a warm serving dish, spoon over the sauce, garnish with the fried bread, and serve immediately.
Tips
Plating
Pairings
Buttered tagliatelle
Soft noodles catch the rich sauce beautifully without overpowering the pheasant.
Celery root purée
Silky celeriac adds sweetness and earthiness that suit game birds especially well.
Roasted root vegetables
Carrots, parsnips and turnips bring color and a gentle sweetness to the plate.
Food & wine pairing
FAQ
It has a refined game flavor that is deeper than chicken but still delicate. The white wine, mushrooms, bacon and stock create a rich, savory sauce with excellent balance.
Yes. Farmed pheasant works very well and is often slightly more tender and milder in flavor than wild pheasant.
Yes. You can make and strain the sauce base several hours ahead, then reheat it gently and finish with butter, mushrooms and bacon just before serving.
Brandy is the closest substitute. You can also leave it out and add a small splash of extra white wine if preferred.
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