Peter Duchin's Kraut and Pheasant

Peter Duchin's Kraut and Pheasant

For the vegetable mixture:

1/2 tart apple, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 rib of celery, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 small clove garlic, crushed

Combine all ingredients in bowl; set aside.

For the pheasants:

3 cleaned pheasants, 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. each
Brandy
Salt, freshly ground pepper, and paprika
6 slices of bacon
4 juniper berries
6 whole cloves
12 peppercorns
7 1/2 cups undrained sauerkraut
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tsps. caraway seeds
1 cup dairy sour cream
Guava jelly

Brush pheasants with brandy; sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Stuff pheasants with vegetable mixture and truss birds with heavy thread (or skewers). Arrange birds, breast side up, in shallow roasting pan; place two strips of bacon lengthwise on each bird. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F. oven 25 minutes (or until birds test done); baste occasionally with pan drippings. Enclose juniper berries, cloves and peppercorns in a spice bag. Toss with kraut, carrots, onion and caraway seeds together. Add kraut mixture with spice bag to roasting pan about 30 minutes before birds are done. Remove pheasants from oven and discard vegetable mixture. Keep warm on serving platter. Stir sour cream into kraut mixture; add salt and pepper to taste. Return pan to oven, cook about 10 minutes more (or until kraut mixture is hot). Discard spice bag. Serve pheasants and kraut mixture with guava jelly. Serves 4-6.

Thoughts: Pheasants are obtainable at game specialty or fancy butcher shops. Substitute Rock Cornish hens if pheasants are not available. Juniper berries are available in the gourmet section of many supermarkets (or through mail order houses). If less tart kraut mixture is desired, drain kraut before adding to other ingredients.