Passalacqua Winery

Ingredients

• For the 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 a ¼ inch of your skillet
• Salt and pepper to taste (taste your pretzels first; reduce if salty)
• For the Spätzle
• 2 cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Healthy pinch of salt
• For the 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