1. Clean the pheasant, remove the wishbone, and lift the skin gently away from the breasts with a finger
2. Place duck liver puree under skin then lay 2 slices of truffle under the skin and truss the bird
3. Place into a hot pan seal then place into the cocotte. Pour over Madeira cognac jus de volaille and truffle sauce over the top. Add the glazed chestnuts.
4. Transfer the pheasant, chestnuts and the sauce into the Cocotte
5. Place the plaited dough into the apron of the Cocotte dish so the whole circumference is covered and egg wash. Then place the lid on top of the plaited dough on the rim and lightly seal.
6. Place into the oven at 160˚ for 20mins. Take to the table and remove the lid.
7. Joint the pheasant breast and legs. It is advisable to only use the thigh as the pheasant legs have a lot of sinew.
8. Place on to the plate and spoon the resulting sauce over the top of the breast and thigh.
9. Finish with sliced truffle (and celery puree if you choose)

Glazed Chestnut Method

1. For fresh chestnuts, blanch them and peel the shell and stem. Then gently bake in foil for 20mins
2. Reduce the chicken, madeira and veal stock to a syrup, add the butter and sugar to form a glaze
3. Add the chestnuts and gently simmer for 10 minutes to absorb the glaze. Season and add fresh truffle at the last moment for the truffle flavour to be maintained.