Delicious Soups by Belinda Williams

Author:Belinda Williams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small
Published: 2020-01-12T16:00:00+00:00

a little special

annabel’s pheasant soup

Annabel is an amazing person; artistic, creative and kind, she taught all my boys to write beautifully, and my youngest son to read and write, get through his English exams, and how to appreciate both brains and beauty! She claims not to be able to cook, but years ago she asked me to help her with a dinner party where she had prepared the pheasant dish that was the inspiration for this deliciously rich soup. It is, to this day, the nicest pheasant recipe I have ever had, and deserves pole position in this book – as does she!

for the marinade

500 ml/2 cups ruby Port

2 red onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 bay leaves

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

6 juniper berries, slightly crushed to release their flavour

for the soup

1 large pheasant, skinned and jointed

50–75 g/3½–5 tablespoons butter

1.5 litres/6 cups game stock (follow the recipe for Beef Stock on page 11, using duck, pigeon, pheasant, partridge and venison bones, or a mixture)

500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. chestnut, shiitake or button mushrooms, or a mixture

1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch

2 egg yolks

250 ml/1 cup double/heavy cream

sea salt and ground black pepper

croutons, to serve

a large flameproof casserole dish

serves 6–8

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a dish and add the pheasant joints. Make sure all the meat is covered in the marinade and leave for 8 hours or overnight in the fridge.

When ready to make the soup, remove the pheasant joints from the marinade and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Reserve the marinade.

Heat 1–2 tablespoons of the butter in the casserole dish and cook the joints until nicely browned. Pour over the reserved marinade, along with the game stock. Set the dish over low heat and poach the pheasant very gently for 1½ hours.

Remove the pheasant joints from the liquid (reserving the liquid) and allow to cool. Shred all the meat from the bones, being careful that all the bones are removed. Set the meat aside.

Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan and sauté the mushrooms gently, giving a little colour, then set aside.

Strain the poaching liquid, discarding the bits, and pour it into a clean pan. Bring the liquid to a very gentle simmer, then add the shredded meat and mushrooms.

In a small bowl, combine the cornflour/cornstarch, egg yolks and cream and mix to a smooth paste. Stir the mixture into the simmering liquid and allow to just thicken, then draw the pan off the heat. Season with salt and black pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with old-fashioned croutons on the side.

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