Prepare the pheasants
Remove the legs and breasts from the pheasants. Skin and bone the legs and remove the skin from the breasts. Trim off any fat and remove the sinew from the breasts, then dice all the meat.
Terrine of Pheasant Rillettes
A rich pheasant rillettes terrine with carrots and spinach, served with garlic vinaigrette, baby Brussels sprouts and wild cress.
Yield: 20–22 portions
Method
Season and cover with lard
Melt the lard. Season the meat with 4 teaspoons of salt and a little freshly ground white pepper, then place it in a saucepan. Pour over the melted lard; the meat should be completely covered.
Slow-cook the meat
Stand the saucepan in a roasting pan half-filled with boiling water and simmer over a low heat for 3–4 hours. The meat is cooked when it will easily fall apart.
Cook the carrots
Cook the diced carrots in boiling salted water until soft. Refresh them in cold water, drain and set aside.
Drain and reserve the fat
Once the meat is cooked, drain off the fat. Allow it to settle, then skim off the fat and reserve it. You should now have about 600ml/1 pint of pheasant juice left.
Reduce the pheasant juices
Set the pheasant juice over a high heat and reduce it by three-quarters. Once reduced, add it to the pheasant meat along with the cooked carrot and half of the reserved fat.
Mix and begin setting
Mix well. Stand the mixture in a cold place and stir it occasionally until it has almost set.
Press and seal the terrine
Press the mixture into a 28cm/11 inch terrine, then refrigerate for 1 hour. Melt the remaining fat, reserving 50ml/2 fl oz, and pour it over the top of the terrine to form an airtight seal. Chill until set.
Prepare the spinach leaves
Remove the stalks from the spinach leaves and wash well. Blanch them in boiling salted water for a few seconds, refresh under cold water and dry thoroughly.
Unmould the terrine
Turn out the terrine by dipping the mould in hot water for about 30 seconds, then give it a sharp tap so the terrine falls out cleanly.
Wrap with spinach
Brush the terrine with a little of the reserved fat. Cover the three long sides with overlapping spinach leaves, brushing each leaf with a little fat and leaving only the fat-sealed top uncovered. Leave to set.
Slice and serve
Cut the terrine into slices and place one in the centre of each plate. Spoon a little garlic vinaigrette around it and finish with tiny blanched Brussels sprouts and wild cress.