Sticky pheasant

She came, she went, it was jolly good fun and we are going to do it again when Christmas is over. Lovely Joanna from 'On the Blossom Trail' popped over for a lightning visit, and there was cake and woods, though not in that order. We were on a tight schedule, with both of us being busy in various ways. We slurped a quick cuppa, and opened a packet from Daisy Lupin, which I had saved, as it was going to be a 'Blogworld-meets-real-life' kind of day. I was delighted to find two of Daisy's gorgeous felt decorations which I had been admiring on her blog.

They got hung at once, even though we don't usually decorate until a week before the great day. They look just right hanging on the beams - thank you Daisy!

Then it was off to the woods, for a very quick leg stretch, with me wearing the lovely silk scarf sent me by Connie, from Mumbo-Jumbo. I have to wear it wrapped, as my lifestyle doesn't allow for 'floaty things'. But it keeps my neck lovely and warm and I almost feel like a proper lady. Thank you Connie!


I really enjoyed showing off our lovely scenery, from the semi abandoned farmhouse with its flock of poultry, to the shy little herd of Dexters which graze nearby. There was a shoot going on nearby, as is usual at this time of year and when we returned to the car it was hemmed in by several mud splattered SUV's and an open back van with about 50 brace of pheasants hanging from the rails. It was a macabre but spectacular display; if it had been in a London gallery it could quite have passed itself off as an artwork. A gaggle of country chaps were striding across the windswept field with guns. We were approached by a couple (a brace?) of tweedy jacketed, knickerbocker clad gentlemen, in stout shoes and knee-high woollen socks, who generously gave Jo a pair of hen birds. When we got home, I just had time to force a bowl of tomato and chick pea soup on her, a fantastic recipe I swiped from Becca and Bella's blog. I added a tablespoon of Miso paste because I cannot cook any recipe without dickering about with it. And then there was cake. Moist carrot cake, made by Joanna, which was quite delicious and enough left for Andy later that night. What a lovely way to spend an extended lunchtime, and how I smiled to think of someone else tussling with dead birds...

I have been thinking of 'ways with pheasant' apart from the ubiquitous casseroles. With the last lot we got, I coated them in a sauce, and grilled them, the result being a dryish spicy finger food dish, which would go well with other 'finger pickin' foods, and maybe with cold lager to wash it down. The measurements are all approximate as I tend to hurl everything into a bowl and judge quantities by instinct, which is not very helpful to anyone else...

STICKY PHEASANT

To coat two lots of bird bits - legs, wings, breast, miscellaneous gubbins.

4-5 tablespoon of sweet chilli sauce, the dipping kind.
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon of runny honey
2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
a few dried lime leaves, crushed (optional, this just gives zesty, limey notes to the final taste)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice or lime juice if you have it. (Bottled or fresh, it doesn't matter)
A couple of ounces or more of sesame seeds, enough to cover all parts

Mix all the ingredients apart from the sesame seeds and coat all the bits in the sauce. Oven bake or grill until done and the sauce has gone sticky and less liquid. Baste the remaining liquid over the pieces, then dredge them in sesame seeds, and return to the oven until they are toasted. That's it. It tastes better cold, and would make excellent winter picnic fare.

We had ours with game chips, which are simply winter potatos, (unpeeled) quarted lengthways, drenched in extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkled with dried herbs. Bake in a tray, on the upper shelf of a hot oven until done, rather like roast potatoes, but don't over do them - they should have a nice brown skin and soft, floury inner.

Praise be, I hit my illustration deadline last night. Feedback from the roughs won't arrive until January, so I can relax for a bit. Now I have time to start a new private commission and even think about having some time out to make paper mache bits and pieces. Everyone seems to be making lovely festive fripperies and I am tempted to join in, though I haven't actually crafted anything for years. Willow House is selling some lovely treasures at the moment, pop over and have a look.

NOTE - thanks to a remarkably successful sales period, stocks of Red Flannel Elephant Christmas cards are dwindling rapidly. If there is anyone left on the planet who wanted some and hasn't yet ordered any, the Management recommend doing so PDQ before they run out...