Pheasant breasts with apples and Calvados from the Val d’Auge

Serves 4

Season the prepared pheasant with salt and pepper and brown on both sides.

Peel the apples and cut into even-sized pieces. Sprinkle sugar into a pan and caramelise lightly.  Add a knob of butter and sweat the apples in this.
Put the apple peel on top of the pheasant and place in a pre-heated oven at 150° C for around 20 minutes.

Remove the pheasant from the oven and remove the breasts from the carcass and keep warm.

Chop the carcass into small pieces and stew in the pan with a spoonful of sugar.

Caramelise the sugar lightly, pour the Calvados and deglaze with the pheasant stock.
Reduce for 5 minutes.

Sieve the sauce and add cream.  Reduce until you obtain the desired consistency and whip in a knob of butter.

Season with salt and pepper and serve the pheasant breasts cut into thin slices with celery purée for instance.