No. 1089 — Roast Pheasant
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 1089 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
The book first instructs that pheasants be kept in their feathers for five to eight days, then cleaned. The head is cut off and reserved for decoration.
Singe the down with lighted paper. While the surface remains warm, rub the bird with pork fat or a cloth-wrapped piece of butter to remove down and feather roots.
Lard the breast and roast in butter in a saucepan, constantly basting with hot butter and two or three spoonfuls of boiling water, optionally rubbing with sour cream. The source also suggests piercing the roast with a fork.
The source does not use the liver or other viscera. Once done, baste with butter, cover with grated stale white bread and leave over gentle heat to brown the crumbs.
Set on a dish, reattach the feathered head to the neck with a stick, decorate with a paper frill and insert tail feathers into the roast. The source says the separate head and tail should first be briefly fried in hot fat.
Alternatively lard the pheasant with ¼ Russian pound of pork fat, surround with another ¼ pound, wrap in buttered paper and roast on a spit, first over strong heat and then gentler heat, basting with butter.
Finish with breadcrumbs and serve with a salad. The author estimates roughly one hour of roasting.
To provide
1 pheasant and ½ Russian pound of pork fat | ¼ Russian pound of butter and 3–4 rusks |