Quails

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) deep sauté pan or snug oval cocotte with lid
• •Parchment paper for the cartouche
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Small whisk
• •Kitchen twine

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the stock

   Check the veal stock while it is cold. It should tremble like a loose jelly; if it pours like water, put ¼ cup (60 ml) in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin evenly over it, and leave it for 5 minutes. Warm the remaining stock gently in the sauté pan, whisk in the bloomed gelatin, and bring the liquid to 180 to 185°F (82 to 85°C). It should show an occasional lazy bubble, never a rolling boil.

   Gelatin restores the body that a long-maintained veal stock naturally possesses. Use it only when the cold stock fails the test; the aim is a sauce with body, not aspic.
2. 2

   Truss the quails

   Pat the quails dry inside and out. Tuck the wing tips beneath the backs, cross the legs, and tie each bird neatly with kitchen twine so the delicate extremities stay close to the body. Season the cavities and skins evenly with the salt and white pepper. Keep the birds cold until the stock is ready.

3. 3

   Poach below simmer

   Lower the quails breast-side up into the hot stock in a snug single layer. The liquid should reach at least two-thirds of the way up the birds; if it does not, use a smaller pan rather than weakening the fond with a great deal of water. Cover the surface with a cartouche (parchment lid), add the pan lid, and hold the stock between 175 and 185°F (79 and 85°C). After 9 minutes, turn the quails breast-side down and cook for another 6 to 9 minutes, until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F (74°C). If the stock begins boiling, pull the pan off the heat, uncover it, and add 2 tablespoons of cold water around the edge. Ça se rattrape. Resume only when the liquid has calmed.

4. 4

   Rest and strain

   Lift the quails carefully onto a warmed platter, turn them breast-side up, and cover them loosely with foil. Strain the poaching stock through a fine sieve and skim away any surface fat. Measure 2 cups (475 ml) back into the clean sauté pan and reserve the remainder; the birds should rest only while the sauce reduces, about 12 minutes.

5. 5

   Reduce and mount

   Boil the measured stock briskly until it reduces to about ¾ cup (180 ml), tastes concentrated but not salty, and coats the back of a spoon with an amber glaze. Take the pan completely off the heat and monter au beurre (mount with butter), whisking in the cold cubes one at a time until the jus is glossy. If it looks oily, whisk in a spoonful of reserved stock. If it has reduced too far, loosen it the same way. Taste before adding any further salt.

6. 6

   Sauce and serve

   Remove the twine and arrange two quails per warmed plate, or return all eight to the serving platter. Spoon the jus generously over the breasts and let a little pool beneath each bird. Bring the remaining sauce to the table separately and serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose quails with rounded breasts and supple, unblemished skin. The fat visible near the cavity should be white and firm, not yellow, soft, or strongly scented. Farmed quails are often sold frozen and can be excellent; thaw them slowly in the refrigerator and dry them thoroughly.
• •The source offers three sound roads: the spit, butter in a covered saucepan, or poaching in gelatinous veal stock. This recipe follows the third because it most flatters the bird's lean flesh. Do not brown the quails first; that belongs to the butter method and changes the character of the poach.
• •A proper chilled veal stock should jiggle. If yours already does, omit the powdered gelatin without hesitation. If it does not, the small measured addition supplies body without changing the stock's flavor.
• •Serve two quails per person with purée de pommes de terre or glazed carrots, something quiet enough to catch the jus. A light red Burgundy or a cru Beaujolais has sufficient freshness for the delicate birds and sufficient fruit for the veal reduction.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for up to 3 days. Reheat the quails gently in reserved stock until their centers reach 165°F (74°C), then prepare a fresh butter finish; a hard boil will toughen them.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the veal stock up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Test its body once chilled and add gelatin only when warming it for the quails.
• •The quails may be dried, trussed, and arranged on a rack up to 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate them, then season immediately before poaching.
• •Poach the birds close to serving. They may rest under loose foil for the short time required to reduce the jus, but do not leave them sitting in hot stock, which continues cooking the breasts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)