Sous-Vide Pheasant,Chestnut Gnocchi,Mousseron and Wild Asparagus, Piquant Ragout, Smoky Cream.

As we head into winter and the days get shorter I like to use game birds on the menu. I get great 'Game Farm' birds from my butcher. They come in at about 1.2kg whole so we need to use the leg and breast to make up a good portion. We cook the crowns sous-vide and then crisp up the skins. I have a great basque recipe for the legs. We marinate them overnight with some sugar, cider vinegar and white wine. The next day we cook them in the marinade and add green olives, prunes and capers. The resulting braise is very aromatic and very piquant with the prunes and cider vinegar. I love chestnut flour and the smokiness goes very well with this bird. I have just received the first imported wild mushrooms and asparagus from France and they seemed to round of the dish nicely. I added some glazed cockscombs for a different texture and dressed everything with a little of the braising liquor. All flavours of winter and all very comforting for the time of year. The Smoky cream was made by infusing smoked speeck trimmings. We shoot this into a crisp tube of bric pastry for a nice crunch.