Yankee Pheasants Jubilee

This is the kind of dish you bring out when you want the table to go quiet for a moment before the compliments start.

Whole pheasants get stuffed with quartered apples, sliced onions, and celery leaves for aromatic moisture, then wrapped in bacon and sealed in foil for a slow roast. The foil comes off for the last stretch so the bacon crisps and the skin turns golden.

But the real showpiece is the jubilee sauce: pan drippings thickened with cornstarch, enriched with sweet cherry syrup and dry white wine, then loaded with whole cherries and finished with a knob of butter.

It pools over carved slices like something from a painting of a New England harvest feast.

Chef Tips

• The apple, onion, and celery leaf stuffing is for flavor and moisture only. Discard it after roasting since it’s done its job
• Wrap the bacon snugly over the breast to protect the lean pheasant meat from drying out during the long roast
• If you can’t find pheasant, Cornish game hens work as a substitute with shorter roasting time
• The cherry jubilee sauce is rich enough to serve alongside wild rice and roasted root vegetables for a complete autumn dinner