Recipe

Pheasant Forcemeat, Stuffing And Roasting The Ballotine

Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350ø F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pheasant, ham, pork, and chicken livers, together. Add 3 of the bay leaves, the salt, thyme, oregano, cayenne, black pepper, celery, onions, garlic, shallots, brandy, and port. Toss to mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and drain for 2-3 minutes, discard the liquid. Remove the bay leaves. Using a Kitchen Aid with a grinder attachment with 1/4 inch die, grind the meat through once. Transfer the meat to a mixing bowl and fold in the egg whites and parsley. Turn the forcemeat onto the pheasant skin. Fold the skin over the forcemeat and completely wrap the forcemeat. Using a needle with twine, sew up the edges of the skin. Wrap the ballotine with cheese cloth and tie the ends. In a braising pan, add the dark chicken reduction, red wine, fresh thyme sprigs, peppercorns and remaining bay leaves. Place the ballotine in the braising liquid and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 170ø F. Remove the ballotine from the braising liquid and remove the cheesecloth. Allow the ballotine to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This can be served hot or cold.
Yields: 12 servings