Pheasant breast à l’orange with dried apricots & prosciutto
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep: -
- Cook:
- More effort
- Serves 2
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Ingredients
- 2 skinless pheasant breasts
- 6 plump, juicy dried apricots
- 12 rashers thinly sliced prosciutto or streaky bacon
- 4 thyme sprigs
- knob of butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 50g watercress
- squeeze of orange juice
For the sauce
- zest and juice 2 oranges
- 1in cinnamon stick (or 1 tsp ground)
- 1 tsp honey
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
Method
- STEP 1
Cut each pheasant in half across the middle, lengthways so that you have 4 thin slithers of breast. Cut the apricots in the same way. Lay out 3 overlapping slices of prosciutto or bacon and place a sprig of thyme on top. Pop a piece of breast on top of this and lay 3 pieces of apricot on top of the breast. Season with salt and pepper, then wrap the prosciutto tightly around the pheasant to form a parcel. Repeat with the remaining pheasant, prosciutto and apricot to make 4 parcels. You can make these the day before and chill overnight.
- STEP 2
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a high flame and add the butter and 1 tbsp oil. When the fats are sizzling, add the pheasant parcels and cook for 3-4 mins on each side until the prosciutto is crisp and golden. The heat from the pan will seal the prosciutto tightly around the pheasant breast.
- STEP 3
Pop the breasts onto a baking tray and roast in the oven for 5-7 mins to finish cooking. Meanwhile, add the zest and juice from the 2 oranges, cinnamon, honey and soy to the pan juices and simmer to reduce until syrupy. Toss the watercress with the remaining oil and a squeeze of orange juice. Serve the pheasant parcels with the orange sauce, watercress and rice.
