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The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook

PHEASANT SOUP

In Good Things in England, a cookery book

published in 1932 with recipes dating back

to the fourteenth century, author Florence

White includes this recipe in her menu

for December. Other recipe books from

the period suggest using “grandpapa”birds

for this soup because they are too tough

for the table but perfect for soup.When

hunting parties at Downton went out

for the day, they could not know from a

distance if the pheasants were young or

old, so the older birds would become soup

and forcemeat while the young ones could

be roasted whole or filleted for use in pies.

While balls of forcemeat are fine,

quenelles are particularly striking when

nicely placed in the soup plate with the

celery and the clear stock ladled around

them. If you cannot find a pheasant easily,

a chicken can be used for both the stock

and the quenelles.

SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

 large pheasant or chicken,

about ½ lb (. kg)

½ tablespoons ( ml) sherry

FOR THE MIREPOIX

 carrot, peeled and roughly

chopped

 yellow onion, quartered

 rib celery, roughly chopped

 leek, white and pale green

parts, roughly chopped

 clove garlic, crushed

 black peppercorns

¼ teaspoon salt

Bouquet garni of  fresh flat-leaf

parsley sprigs,  fresh thyme

sprigs, and  bay leaf, tied into a

bundle with kitchen string

 quarts ( l) water

FOR THE QUENELLES

Reserved pheasant breast fillets

¼ cup ( g) flour

 egg yolk

 tablespoon finely chopped fresh

flat-leaf parsley

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon black pepper

 cups ( ml) chicken stock

FOR GARNISH

 large, thick rib celery

Finely chopped fresh flat-leaf

parsley

Using a sharp knife, cut the breast fillets off the pheasant and

refrigerate for making the quenelles. Leave the remaining meat on

the carcass. Using a cleaver or heavy knife, break the legs to make

the carcass more manageable inside the pot. Put the carcass into a

large, deep pot and add all the mirepoix ingredients, the bouquet

garni, and the water, adding more water if needed just to cover.

Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that forms

on the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer

gently, skimming off any foam that forms and adding water as

needed to maintain the original level, for  hours.

When the stock is ready, remove from the heat and pass through

a fine-mesh sieve placed over a saucepan. You will be left with a

great stock that will be the base for your soup. If you are using a

young bird, remove the meat from the legs, tear it into small bite-

size pieces, and add it to the stock. Reserve the stock for adding

just before serving.

Recipe continues