Douce 55 1450
Lete a fesaunt blode in the mouth, and lete hym blede to deth; & pulle hym, and draw hym, & kutt a-wey the necke by the body, & the legges by the kne, and perbuille hym, and larde hym, and putt the knees in the vent, & reise hym vpp, hys legges & hys wynges as off an henne, and no sauce butt salt.
Due to a lack of pheasants, the medieval ‘turkey’ is used here, being guinea fowl, which is often listed with pheasants as birds that can be prepared the same way. The killing method of the birds is ignored here, following simply the parboiling and then roasting covered in lard.
Preheat the oven to 220˚C. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and add the bird, breast-side down. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the water and pat thoroughly dry.
Put the bird in a roasting tin and rub with lard. Tip a couple of millimetres of water or stock into the bottom of the tin, and put into the oven for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the juices run clear.
10 minutes before the end of cooking, turn up the oven temperature to 250˚C to help crisp the skin. Keep an eye on it to prevent it burning.
Allow the bird to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Phoenix Rise