Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

2 2 1/2-lb farm-raised ready -(opt.)
-to-roast pheasants 1/4 c Sugar
2 md Navel oranges 1/4 c Red-wine vinegar
1 Large carrot, quartered 1/4 c Dry red wine
1 md Onion, quartered 2 tb Cornstarch
2 tb Butter or margarine 3/4 ts Salt
2 1/2 c Water Pomegranate seeds (opt.)
Wild and brown rice mix Watercress sprigs (opt.)

1. Heat oven to 375'F. Rinse pheasants and pat dry. Remove any excess
fat from body and neck cavities. Reserve necks and giblets. Loosen
skin from the breast meat of each pheasant with your fingers. With
knife, cut peel or rind and all membrane off 1 orange; cut peeled
orange crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Reserve peel.

2. Place half of the orange slices on breast meat under the skin of
each bird. Tuck wing tips under back to hold neck skin down. Place 1
carrot quarter, 1 onion quarter, and half of the orange peel inside
each body cavity. Using kitchen string, tie the legs of each pheasant
together.

3. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter; remove from heat. Place
pheasants, breast sides up, on rack in a large roasting pan. Brush
birds all over with melted butter. Set aside pan with any leftover
butter.

4. Roast the birds 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in saucepan with leftover
butter, brown reserved necks and giblets. Add remaining onion and
carrot quarters; saute 1 minute. Add water; heat to boiling.
Partially cover pan; simmer giblet mixture over medium heat 45
minutes or until liquid is reduced by almost a third.

5. Brush birds with pan drippings. Turn each bird on its side; cover
breasts with pieces of aluminum foil. Continue to roast birds 15
minutes. Tom birds to roast on other side; roast 15 to 20 min- utes
longer or just until juices run clear when thighs are pierced with a
fork and breast meat near wing joint cut parallel to the bone is
white with a touch of pink but no longer wet and soft.

6. While pheasants are roasting, prepare rice following package
directions, if de- sired. Drain body-cavity juices from birds into
roasting pan; cut string off birds. Transfer birds to a serving
pl#tter; surround with hot cooked rice blena; keep wann. Add giblet
mixture to the roasting pan; heat and stir to loosen browned-on bits
from the bottom of the pan. Strain mixture into a 4-C measuring cup
or bowl; discard particles. Spoon off fat from top of strained
liquid. You should have 2 C liquid; if not, add water or chicken
broth.

7. In 2-quart saucepan, heat sugar and vinegar to boiling, stirring
often until sugar dissolves. Continue to boil sugar mixture or syrup
until golden brown or it caramelizes-3 to 5 minutes. Remove from
heat; set aside. In cup, combine wine and cornstarch; stir into syrup
in saucepan. Whisk in strained 2 C liquid and salt; return to heat
and boil, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens. Brush some sauce
over birds; pour remainder into small pitcher.

8. Peel and thinly slice remaining orange. Arrange over pheasant
breasts and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, if desired. Garnish
platter with watercress, if desired. To carve, using sharp knife,
remove the legs and thighs from the birds. Cut the drumsticks from
the thighs. Thinly slice the breasts off the bone. Pass sauce with
the meat.

Country Living/November/91 Scanned fixed by DP and GG

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