Easter Dinner

Easter is a holiday that means a lot to most people.  For me, it's another good reason to make some special dishes.  Here's the menu for tonight.

Pheasant
If you ever have the opportunity to try real wild pheasant breasts, indulge in the pleasure.  When properly prepared, pheasant is rich, slightly gamy and  tender, yet toothsome.  This is a simple way of producing an excellent bird.
3 lbs Pheasant Breasts (boneless and skinless)
   Brine
   1 gallon Water
   1 can Coke
   1 tablespoon whole Allspice, cracked
   1 teaspoon Coriander Seed, cracked
   1 tablespoon Juniper Berries, lightly crushed
   3/4 cup Table Salt
   Combine all ingredients, and stir until the salt is dissolved.  Add the pheasant.  Soak over night.  Rinse thoroughly, and pat dry with a paper towel.

2 tablespoons Bacon Fat
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 cup slices Mushrooms
3-4 tablespoons of Bourbon Whiskey

Heat the bacon fat to melting in a heavy skillet on high heat.  Lay one layer of breasts into the fat.  Add salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes (or until slightly seared), then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Remove and repeat with the next layer, etc.

Reduce the heat to medium.  To the remaining fat and drippings, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt.  Cook until the mushrooms begin to soften.  Reduce the heat to low and add the breasts back in.  Add the whiskey, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.  DO NOT boil.  This will toughen the tender meat.  You won't like it.

Cream of Sour Dock

Acorn Squash Risotto
1 Acorn Squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch "cubes"
1 Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter (yes, again.  Not a typo)
1 3/4 cup Arborio Rice
6 cups Chicken Stock, heated to near boiling
Pepper to taste
1/4 Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 teaspoon ground Turmeric
1/4 teaspoon grated Nutmeg

In a very large saucepan (remember--it's going to hold ALL of these ingredients) melt the butter on medium heat.  Add the onion and squash.  Add salt.  Saute until the onion turns translucent.  Remove the squash and onion from the pan with a slotted spoon.  Add more butter and  the rice.  Stir for 7-10 minutes, constantly, until the rice starts to turn brown and starts to smell a little nutty.  Add the squash and onion back in. 

Here's the hard part.  Patience.  After constant stirring for 10 minutes, you get to stir some more.  Add 1 ladle of chicken stock.  Stir until it is completely absorbed.  Add another ladle-full and stir.  Repeat and repeat until all the stock is absorbed.  It will take time but it is worth your effort. 

Stir in the pepper, cheese, turmeric and nutmeg.  Remove from the heat and serve while hot and creamy.

Bread

Lemon Mousse
1/2 cup Lemon Juice (about 2 large lemons or 3 regular lemons)
Zest of the Lemons
1 tablespoon unflavored Gelatin
4 large Eggs, separated
1/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Whipping Cream

In one bowl, combine the lemon juice and the gelatin.  Let stand for 10 minutes to let the gelatin bloom. 

In another bowl combine the lemon zest, sugar and the egg yolks.  Stir until fluffy and creamy and lemony. 

After the 10 minutes is up, heat the lemon juice and gelatin in a double boiler.  Be gentle.  Go slow.  When the gelatin is completely dissolved, and the juice is heated and aromatic, slowly pour it into the egg yolk mixture, stirring quickly.  Return to the double boiler and reheat it slowly until it STARTS to thicken.  Remove from the heat and put it in the refrigerator to start cooling.

Whip the cream and fold into the lemon mixture.  Then whip the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold it into the cream and lemon mixture.  Spoon into glasses for serving and let chill for a few hours.  Top with sweetened whipped cream.  Light and refreshing!