Cailles Richelieu

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •11-inch (28 cm) straight-sided sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid
• •Small saucepan for heating the veal stock
• •Sharp chef's knife
• •Kitchen twine
• •Slotted spoon or fine skimmer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Deep warmed serving bowl or timbale

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut both juliennes

   Julienne-fashion means cutting the vegetables into match-shaped rods. Cut the carrot, onion, and celery into coarse rods about 1½ inches (4 cm) long and 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, keeping the cuts as even as your knife permits. Cut eight small pieces from the truffle for the cavities, then cut the remainder into the same coarse julienne. The truffle julienne should measure 1 cup, exactly half the 2 cups of vegetable julienne. Cover the truffle closely and keep it cool.

   A fine julienne would soften into threads before the birds were cooked. If yours has come out too thin, ça se rattrape: cook it in butter for only two minutes and add it after the quails have poached for six minutes.
2. 2

   Season and truss

   Check each quail cavity and remove any remaining gizzard. Pat the birds dry. Put a small grain of salt and a few drops of Cognac inside each one, followed by a piece of raw truffle. Tuck the wings behind the backs, draw the legs neatly against the breasts, and tie each bird compactly with kitchen twine. This entrée truss is practical, not decorative: it helps the quails cook evenly and lets eight birds fit tightly in one pan.

3. 3

   Soften the vegetables

   Melt the butter in the sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery, and a small pinch of the measured salt. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning gently, until the rods are supple and glossy but still distinct, with no browning. Lift the vegetables into a bowl, leaving the butter in the pan. If the pan begins to color, lower the heat and add a spoonful of the hot stock; the glaze will dissolve and the julienne can continue without bitterness.

4. 4

   Pack and poach

   Arrange the quails breast-side up in the buttered pan, pressed snugly against one another so they cannot drift or roll. Season their surfaces with the remaining salt and spread the cooked vegetable julienne evenly over them. Pour in enough hot amber veal stock to cover the birds and vegetables, using no more than the pan requires. Cover, bring the liquor to one clear boil, then immediately lower the heat and poach at the barest tremble for exactly 12 minutes.

   A hard boil tightens the breast meat and muddles the liquor. If the pan erupts, pull it completely off the heat for thirty seconds, then return it over the lowest flame. Ça se rattrape.
5. 5

   Add truffle last

   Scatter the raw truffle julienne evenly over the vegetable julienne, cover again, and poach for 2 minutes, no longer. Check a quail at the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone; it should register 165°F (74°C). If the birds need another minute, lift the truffle julienne out with a slotted spoon and keep it covered while the quails finish, then return it at service. This preserves the book's intent: cooked quail, warm truffle, full perfume.

6. 6

   Degrease and serve

   Lift the quails into a warmed deep serving bowl or timbale and remove the twine. Skim every visible bead of fat from the cooking liquor, but do not strain away the julienne. Taste the liquor for salt, then spoon the vegetable and truffle juliennes over the birds and pour over enough clear amber liquor to pool generously around them. Serve the remaining liquor at the table, with pilaf rice alongside if using. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose quails of similar size, with plump breasts and unbroken skin. Equal birds finish together; one large bird hidden among smaller companions will still be underdone when the rest are ready.
• •The veal stock is the foundation, not background liquid. Chilled, it should set to a tender jelly; warm, it should taste rounded and leave a slight richness on the lips. If unsalted stock remains watery when cold, reduce it before measuring the amount for this recipe.
• •Fresh black truffle gives the final two-minute perfume the dish promises. Outside its season, whole preserved black truffles are the classical pantry's honest answer: drain them well, dry them, and use the same measured volume, knowing their aroma will be quieter. Truffle-flavored oil cannot perform the same work.
• •Use tender new carrots, small fresh onions, and inner celery stalks when they are good. Mature vegetables still work if they are firm and cut evenly; technique first, always.
• •A mature white Burgundy or dry Champagne suits the sweet quail, amber stock, and earthiness of truffle. Keep the pilaf rice plain so it catches the liquor without competing with it.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare and reduce the veal stock up to 3 days ahead. Chill it, remove the hardened surface fat, and reheat it to a simmer before beginning the quails.
• •Cut the vegetable julienne up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerate it covered. It may be softened in butter up to 2 hours ahead, then chilled and returned to room temperature before the poach.
• •Clean and truss the quails up to 4 hours ahead. Add the salt, Cognac, and cavity pieces of truffle no more than 1 hour before cooking, then keep the birds covered and cold.
• •Cut the finishing truffle julienne no more than 2 hours ahead and seal it closely in a small container. Its fragrance is volatile, which is precisely why it waits until the final two minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 525g)