Recipe: Pretzel-Crusted Pheasant Cutlets with Apple-Cream Sauce and Spätzle

Cutlets

• 4 pheasant breast halves, trimmed and pounded to ¼-inch thickness

• 2 cups salted pretzels of your choice*, smashed in a zip-lock bag or blitzed up in a food processor

• ½ cup flour

• 2 large eggs

• Splash of milk

• Enough canola or peanut oil to fill ¼ inch of your skillet

• Salt and pepper to taste (taste your pretzels first; reduce if salty)

* Chef's note: Pretzel chips work especially well. They blitz into small flat pieces that adhere well to the cutlet and remain crunchy when fried.

Spätzle

• 2 cups flour

• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

• 2 eggs

• ¼ cup heavy cream

• 1 cup buttermilk

• Healthy pinch of salt

Apple-Cream Sauce

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)

• 1 small shallot or ¼ small onion, finely minced

• 1 medium tart-sweet apple (like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith), peeled, cored and diced small

• ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or ¼ teaspoon dried)

• ½ cup pheasant (or chicken) stock

• ½ cup heavy cream

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional but adds depth)

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (to brighten)

• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

• Optional apple and thyme for garnish

Cutlets

1. Pat the cutlets dry and pound lightly to ¼-inch thick.

2. Set up a breading station by placing the flour, whisked eggs with a splash of milk, and crushed pretzels in three shallow dishes.

3. Dredge each pheasant cutlet in flour, then egg, then crushed pretzels.

4. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Cook cutlets in batches, 3-5 minutes per side.

5. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and place in a warmed oven while you prepare the spätzle and sauce.

Spätzle

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.

2. Run the batter through a spätzle maker or wide-holed sieve over a large pot of salted boiling water.

3. Cook until the small dumplings float and remove with a slotted spoon.

Apple-Cream Sauce

1. After frying the pheasant cutlets, pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the frying fat.

2. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and melt over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.

3. Add the minced shallot and cook 1-2 minutes until soft and fragrant.

4. Stir in the diced apple and thyme; cook another 2-3 minutes until apples start to soften.

5. Pour in the pheasant stock and bring to a gentle simmer.

6. Cook 3-4 minutes to reduce by about half.

7. Stir in the cream and Dijon mustard.

8. Simmer another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens enough to lightly coat a spoon.

9. Remove from heat; stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.

10. Add apple cider vinegar or lemon juice for brightness and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place spätzle on a plate topped with a cutlet. Spoon the sauce over the top and garnish with extra thyme or a few thin apple slices if desired.