Cailles à la Grecque

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy sauté pan with a close-fitting lid
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •2-quart (2-liter) straight-sided serving bowl or timbale

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the service

   Have the Riz à la Grecque fully hot and covered before the quails meet the pan, because these small birds should not wait once cooked. Fill a 2-quart (2-liter) straight-sided serving bowl or timbale with hot tap water and set it aside to warm. The source treats the rice as a finished preparation, so keep it whole here rather than turning this assembly recipe into a second rice formula.

2. 2

   Dry and season

   Inspect the quails for stray pinfeathers, then dry them thoroughly inside and out. Season evenly with the salt and tie the legs together if they spread widely. Dry skin browns; wet skin steams, and a pale bird leaves too little fond for the swilling-liquor.

3. 3

   Cook in butter

   Melt the butter in a heavy lidded sauté pan over medium heat. When it foams and the foam begins to subside, add the quails breast-side down. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes without fussing with them, then roll them onto each side and finally the back, giving each surface 1 to 2 minutes until the skin is deep bronze. Lower the heat, cover, and cook for another 4 to 6 minutes, turning once, until the deepest part of the breast and inner thigh reaches 165°F (74°C). If the butter solids race from chestnut toward black, lift the pan from the heat, add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the measured fumet, and lower the burner before continuing. Ça se rattrape. Drain and dry the warmed timbale, half-fill it with the hot Riz à la Grecque, and arrange the quails breast-side up on the rice.

   Quails vary more in size than chickens do, so the thermometer outranks the clock. Remove each bird as it reaches temperature rather than drying the smallest while waiting for the largest.
4. 4

   Swill the pan

   Return the uncovered pan to medium heat and add the remaining fumet, or all of it if none was needed during cooking. Swirl the pan and scrape every chestnut-colored bit from its floor, letting the liquid bubble briskly for 30 to 60 seconds. The swilling-liquor should remain loose, bronze, and rich with butter, not reduce into a sticky glaze. If the fond clings while the liquid disappears, take the pan off the heat, add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of hot water, cover for 20 seconds, then scrape again.

5. 5

   Pour without skimming

   Taste the swilling-liquor and correct the salt only if it needs it. Do not strain it, skim it, or spoon away the butter; a few golden pools on the surface are intentional. Pour every drop over the quails and let it run down into the Riz à la Grecque. Serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy plucked, eviscerated quails of the same size. Four evenly matched birds cook as one batch; a large bird among small ones turns timing into an unnecessary argument.
• •If game fumet isn't available, reduce 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g) of unsalted dark chicken stock to 1/4 cup (60 ml / 60 g) before beginning. Fumet means concentration, and thin boxed stock poured straight into the pan won't lift the fond with enough authority.
• •Riz à la Grecque is a finished preparation in the source, and it stays whole here. Make its own formula as written, then measure the three cups while hot; plain boiled rice changes the dish rather than simplifying it.
• •The butter floating in the swillings is not a sauce defect. The instruction specifically preserves it so the rice receives the flavor released by the quails. We don't apologize for butter.

Advance Preparation

• •The game fumet may be prepared up to three days ahead and kept chilled, or frozen in small portions. Reheat only the amount required here.
• •Prepare the Riz à la Grecque earlier the same evening and hold it covered above 140°F (60°C) for no more than 30 minutes. Cook the quails at the last moment so their browned skin and juices arrive together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)