Roast Pheasant with Whisky-Cumberland Sauce

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Rated 5 stars out of 5
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  • Read 8 Reviews
Total Time:
1 hr 20 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 hr 0 min
Yield:
4 servings
Level:
Intermediate
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Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup Scotch whisky
  • 2 oranges, cut into 1/8ths
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 (2 to 2 1/2-pound) pheasants
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 slices bacon, halved

Whisky-Cumberland Sauce:

  • 1 cup Scotch whisky
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
  • 1 cup red currant jelly
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch cayenne
  • Serving suggestion: Wild rice

Directions

For the pheasant: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, toss the oranges with 3 tablespoons of the whisky. Rub the pheasants with the remaining 1 tablespoon of whisky and lightly season with salt and pepper. Stuff each pheasant with the oranges and 1 sprig of fresh thyme, and close the cavities with skewers. Wrap the breast of each pheasant with the bacon and set in a roasting pan. Roast the pheasants until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees F., about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes.

For the Whisky Cumberland Sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the whisky, orange juice, and orange zest, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by 50 percent in volume to about 3/4 cup. Add the currant jelly, salt, and cayenne, and stir well.

Cook until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a decorative bowl. Cool slightly before serving.

Remove the bacon from the pheasant breasts, if desired, and cut each bird in half. Discard the oranges and thyme in the cavity. Serve hot with Whisky-Cumberland Sauce and wild rice.

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Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 8 reviews

  • on November 05, 2012

    Flag

    My husband has been hunting pheasant in South Dakota for four years and I have never prepared any of the pheasant he has brought home. When I found this recipe, I decided to try it since I have high regard for Emeril and his cooking techniques. I used only the breasts, reading from others the leg and thigh meat is very gamey. I followed the recipe exactly except I did add more cayenne pepper to the sauce. I roasted two breasts 65 minutes. Then, served the sauce on the side with rice, peas, romaine lettuce salad and bread. It was very tender. The bacon added smokey flavor and moisture, the orange and thyme, a wonderful bouquet of flavor and fragrance and moisture. It was not difficult to prepare, at all. The hardest part was cleaning and cutting the birds. I am sharing this recipe, including the pheasants, with 3 of my friends. Plan to prepare our remaining birds for Thanksgiving.

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  • on October 28, 2012

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    This is fantastic..served it with wild turkey.

    people found this review Helpful.
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  • on November 10, 2008

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    This recipe was very good. I substituted bourbon for the scotch and my guests raved and asked me to do it again less than one week later.

    people found this review Helpful.
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