DRUNKEN PHEASANT

Cooked this once for a family I cooked for and they all thought it was delicious.

3/4 cup gin
3/4 cup vermouth
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic
4 pheasants, dressed
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup orange-flavored dried plums, chopped
1 (10 oz.) can chicken broth
2 Tbsp. butter

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large plastic zip-top bag, reserving 1/2 cup of the mixture. Place pheasants in the bag, seal and chill at least 1 hour.
Remove pheasants from marinade, discarding marinade in bag. Sprinkle with salt and brown on all sides in hot oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat.
Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from roasting pan; keep warm.
Bring reserved marinade to a boil in roasting pan over high heat, stirring to loosen browned particles. Stir in red wine and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Pour mixture through a wire-mesh strainer in a medium saucepan, discarding solids. Add dried plums and broth, and simmer 5 minutes; remove from heat; and stir in butter until melted.
Cut pheasants into quarters; place on serving platter. Drizzle with sauce and serve. Serves 8.

COOKS NOTE: 8 cornish hens may be substituted for the pheasants.

"Fesaunt excedeth all fowles in sweetnesse and holsomnesse, and is equall to capon in nourishynge."
- Sir Thomas Elyot, The Castle of Helth