Serves 4, Main Course      Prep Time 20 minutes, Cook Time 10 minutes

Suggested Wine

Pheasant season starts in the beginning of October, weeks before we turn our clocks back.  These are perfect crisp evenings for a rustic, flavorful dinner around the fire.  These little morsels are delicious roasted in the oven, or easily done on the upper rack of your barbeque. Either way they are cooked literally in minutes.   For the Apricot Cranberry Glaze portion of this recipe, I recommend pan frying.  If you have access to a fine bottled glaze, feel free to use one of the other methods of cooking the pheasant.  Avoid overcooking these delicious bites and they will be moist and tender with an earthy herbal essence.

Ingredients:

• 4 pheasant breast, cut from the bone (from 2 pheasants)
• 4-5 slices, applewood-smoked bacon, cut in half
• 1 – 2 oz. Manchego cheese, cut into roughly ½ cubes
• 2oz. pkg fresh sage leaves
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil or butter, for frying
• Salt and pepper

For Apricot Cranberry Glaze:

•  1/8-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp. chopped dried cranberries
• 1 Tbsp. apricot preserves
• Water
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Cut each breast in half across the middle, lengthwise so that you have eight thin lengths of breast.  Lightly pound the breast meat between two sheets of wax paper, being careful not to create holes in the meat. 

Lay the breast meat out and season lightly with salt & fresh cracked pepper.  At the narrow end, if there is one, lay 1-2 sage leaves, 1-2 cubes of cheese and roll up breast like a jelly roll.  Hold firmly with one hand, preventing it from unrolling.  Carefully wrap the bacon around the rolled breast, pulling in slightly to help it “bind” the breast in place.  Ends of bacon should be tucked underneath breast.  Set on lightly greased baking sheet.

In a 12″ frying pan, add butter or olive oil and place over high heat so that it is sizzling hot.  Do not burn your butter.  Place wrap pheasant in pan and brown for 3-4 minutes.  Flip over, and finish cooking until bacon is cooked.  These pheasant pieces cook rapidly, and should not be over cooked.  If you have a meat thermometer, remove pheasant from pan when temperature registers 130°. 

Immediately toss the red pepper and minced garlic into the hot pan, stirring continually, about 1 minute.  Toss in cranberry pieces and sauté another minute.  Add about ¾ cup water to pan and gently scrap the crispy bits and meat juices.  Add apricot jam.  Continue stirring and simmering until sauce thickens.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour over pheasant and serve.  Garnish with finely minced sage or parsley.