We are the lucky ones this year and are having our three daughters plus the son in law for Christmas.
I do recognise that we’re not always going to manage to pull the long straw and that quite a few of my contempories will be looking at having Christmas dinner for two.
I can’t imagine turkey being a good idea for two, it could be Patricks day before the last of the bones got sucked, so, with this in mind, I humbly make a suggestion about the ideal bird for this occasion; a pheasant.
To make it a little more Christmassy I have adapted a restaurant recipe which I used to serve in Dwyers, the cranberries will add a good tartness to the sauce.
If you happen to have a bottle of Sloe Gin about some of this could be sloshed into the gravy as well.
The advantage of the pheasant is that it makes a perfect meal for two.
If you don’t like the flavour of pheasant I am sure it would work as well with Guinea Fowl or even a good free range, organic Chicken.

Pheasant Breast with Cranberry Gravy
(for two)

1 Pheasant
1 Med Onion
1 oz. Butter
1 glass red wine
1 Egg Whites
225g (8oz.)Streaky Rashers.

Sauce;
I Onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
I Glass red wine
1 tbs. Red Currant Jelly
175g (6 oz.) Cranberries

Skin the Pheasant and remove the breasts and legs from the carcass.
Remove the meat from the legs and put the leg bones with the carcass in a pot with a sliced unpeeled onion and a tablespoon of olive oil.
Put this pot on the heat and stir the onion and the carcass together on the heat until they brown.
Then cover with water and simmer for one hour.

In another pan slice the onion and sweat in the butter until soft.
Add the red wine to the pan and boil until the wine has all but evaporated.
Put the onion, the leg meat,110g (4 oz.) of the bacon (chopped)and the egg white into the goblet of a food processor and whizz.
Season this with a little salt and black pepper.
Open the breasts and divide the stuffing between them.
Stretch the remaining bacon and wrap the breasts well in these.

Strain the stock, add a glass of red wine to it and boil it hard until reduced to a rich full flavoured cup full.
Toss in the cranberries and when they pop add the redcurrant jelly.
Taste and season, it should be both sweet and sour.

Put the pheasant breasts to cook in a hot oven(Gas 6, 200C,400F) for 20 mts (the bacon should look crisp).
To serve, slice the breasts and dribble over the sauce.
This should go well with the usual sprouts and celery.