Pheasant With White Truffles

• 1 2- to 2 1/2-pound pheasant
• 3 tablespoons prosciutto fat, at room temperature
• 1 white truffle, thinly sliced, about 1 ounce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 slices pancetta (Italian bacon)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

1. The day before cooking, wipe the pheasant dry with paper towels.
2. Chop the prosciutto fat and mash it until it is like thick cream.
3. Smear it around the cavity of the bird.
4. Place slices of truffle under the skin of the bird between the skin and the breast and place a few in the cavity.
5. Truss the legs and wings with string.
6. Put the pheasant into a glass or china bowl, cover tightly with plastic or foil and keep in a cool place (not the refrigerator) overnight.
7. The aroma of the truffle should permeate the pheasant.
8. If refrigerated, the pheasant will be too cold for that to happen.
9. The next day, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
10. Rub the pheasant with the olive oil, place it on a rack in a roasting pan, season with salt and pepper and cover the breast and legs with pancetta.
11. Roast the pheasant for 25 minutes, basting frequently.
12. Turn heat down to 375 degrees, cover the pheasant loosely with foil and roast 20 minutes more or until it is tender.
13. Let it stand on a rack.
14. Add the cream to the cooking juices and mix thoroughly.
15. Heat the juices and cream and pour them over the pheasant.
16. Serve immediately.

pheasant, white truffle, olive oil, salt, pancetta, heavy cream

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1149 (may not work)