Somerset Recipes

Keith Floyd’s Sautéed Pheasant, Somerset style

By Mike Ward

The original recipe for sautéed published in one of Floyd's later books from 2002 called " Flash Floyd ". It was Sauteed pheasant with calvados. I have adapted it for Somerset, by replacing the calvados with Somerset Cider Brandy.  The pheasant season started on October 1st so it's a perfect seasonal recipe and you could source almost all the ingredients from Somerset.  I stuck as faithfully as possible to Floyd's instructions substituting local and Somerset ingredients where possible.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 pheasant breasts (off the bone)
1 English apple (I used Cox's)
Brown sugar
Butter for frying
1 glass of Somerset Cider Brandy (I used Somerset Royal)
1 glass of Sheppy's Dabinett Somerset cider (plus several more for drinking !!).  I used Sheppy's Dabinett
200 ml chicken stock
200 ml double cream
1 tbl spoon apple sauce (I was going to make some but ran out of time so used Co-op's British Bramley apple sauce which tasted fine)
Malden sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

First peel , quarter ,core and slice the apple.

Arrange the slices on a non stick backing tray and sprinkle with brown sugar. Place the tray under the grill on full power and cook the apple until brown . Put the apple aside for garnishing the finished dish.

Fry the pheasant breasts in butter on both sides until cooked through. If possible fry in a deep sautee pan with a lid .

As a tribute to Keith I had a glass of the brandy while the pheasant cooked and a very tasty tipple it was too!

Pour the glass of cider brandy over the pheasant and ignite.  Stand back it's explosive stuff!  Allow to burn for about 15 seconds and if the flame doesn't extinguish itself then pop the lid on the pan which will do the trick.

When the flame is out add the cider to the pan and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes ... just long enough to pour the rest of the bottle into the glass for extra refreshment .

Remove the breasts from the pan and keep warm while you finish the sauce.

As the cider, brandy and butter mixture reduces stir in the apple sauce, chicken stock and cream, stir well and season with the salt and pepper to taste. Reduce to the consistency of sauce you prefer.

Place the breasts on a plate, dress with the sauce and garnish with the apple slices .

I served mine with herb and garlic roasted potatoes and green beans dressed in olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

Thanks Keith Floyd!

Thanks also to Julian Temperley for supplying the Somerset Cider Brandy.  He tells us that Keith Floyd's last lunch featured morello cherries in Somerset Eau de Vie - how fitting!