Cailles en Caisses

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 12-inch ovenproof sauté pan with lid
• •Medium heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Wire rack set over a rimmed tray
• •Shallow 13 by 9-inch metal tray for the aspic
• •Two flat trays and two unopened tins for light pressing
• •8 food-safe oval pleated paper cases, about 4 1/2 by 3 inches
• •Narrow drinking straw and clean coffee stirrer for the eye decoration

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the aspic

   Pour 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the cold aspic stock into a bowl and sprinkle the aspic gelatin evenly over it. Leave it for 10 minutes, until every grain is swollen. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) aspic stock with 1/4 cup (60 ml) Madeira and 1/2 teaspoon salt just to a tremble. Remove from the heat, stir in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved, and pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a shallow metal tray. The layer should be about 1/4 inch (6 mm) deep. Chill for at least 4 hours, until firm enough to cut cleanly.

   Taste the liquid once it is tepid. Cold dulls seasoning, so it should taste slightly more assertive than the finished jelly needs to taste.
2. 2

   Shape the quail

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Pat the quail thoroughly dry, bend the wing tips behind the backs, and tie the legs neatly together. Season inside and out with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and half the white pepper. Keep any butcher-cleaned heads refrigerated separately. A wet bird colors poorly, and the finished coating cannot hide pale, rubbery skin.

3. 3

   Poêler the quail

   Poêler, covered roasting in butter, gives the small birds color without drying them. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a wide ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the quail in two batches, turning until the breasts and legs are deep gold, then return all eight to the pan. Scatter in the shallot, pour in 1/2 cup (120 ml) chicken stock and 1/4 cup (60 ml) Madeira, and cover. Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until the thickest part of each thigh reaches 165°F (74°C). If using the cleaned heads, add them at the edge of the pan for the final 6 minutes and turn once. Chilled poultry receives no second cooking, so take the temperature seriously.

4. 4

   Press and chill

   Transfer the quail breast-side up to a parchment-lined tray and strain the cooking liquid into a bowl. Set a second tray lightly over the birds for 20 minutes so they cool in a compact, even shape; two unopened tins provide enough weight. Remove the top tray once the birds stop radiating heat, no later than 30 minutes after cooking, and refrigerate them uncovered for at least 2 hours. Chill the cooked heads separately. The quail must be cold and dry before coating.

5. 5

   Build the chaud-froid

   Pour the strained cooking liquid into a saucepan with the remaining 1/4 cup (60 ml) Madeira and boil until reduced to about 1/2 cup (120 ml). In a second saucepan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, stir in the flour, and cook for 2 minutes without letting the roux brown. Whisk in the remaining 2 cups (480 ml) chicken stock a little at a time, then add the reduced cooking liquid. Simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the sauce naps the back of a spoon. Add the cream and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Hard boiling can make the cream grainy, so keep the surface at a quiet tremble.

6. 6

   Finish the coating

   While the sauce simmers, sprinkle the coating gelatin over the cold water and leave it for 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, whisk in the bloomed gelatin, and strain it into a clean bowl. Season with the remaining salt and white pepper, then add the lemon juice. Set the bowl over ice and stir steadily until the sauce reaches 82 to 86°F (28 to 30°C) and falls from the spoon like heavy cream. If it remains thin, keep stirring over ice. If it stiffens or turns lumpy, set the bowl over barely warm water and stir until fluid again. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Coat the quail

   Set the chilled quail on a wire rack over a tray. Ladle the chaud-froid over each bird in one steady pour, covering the breast, legs, and neck opening with a thin, even coat. Let the excess fall away, then chill for 15 minutes. If the first coat shows a bare patch, apply a second thin spoonful after the first has set; do not brush at it, because brush marks remain visible. Chill for another 20 minutes, until the surface is firm and satin-smooth.

8. 8

   Make the eyes

   For the full source presentation, cut 16 tiny rounds from the hard-boiled egg white with the end of a narrow drinking straw, then remove each center with a clean coffee stirrer or the tip of a piping nozzle to make rings. Cut 16 smaller spots from the truffle. Fix an egg-white ring over each cooked head's eye position with a dab of chaud-froid, place a truffle spot in its center, and chill until set. If cleaned heads were unavailable, omit this display element rather than fabricating a substitute.

9. 9

   Chop the jelly

   Chill a cutting board and a long knife for 15 minutes. Turn the firm aspic onto the cold board and chop it into even 1/8-inch (3 mm) jewels, lifting and cutting rather than crushing. The jelly must stay truly cold: if it begins to smear or cling to the blade, return everything to the refrigerator for 10 minutes, dry the knife, and continue. This narrow border catches light only when its cut edges remain distinct.

10. 10

    Fill the cases

    Arrange eight food-safe oval pleated cases on a chilled platter. Set one coated quail in each case. If using the decorated heads, tuck each neck beneath the front of its bird so the head sits upright and secure it with a small dab of set chaud-froid. Spoon a narrow cordon of chopped aspic around the base of every quail, keeping the border fine rather than burying the bird. Chill for 30 minutes and serve two cases per person, directly from the cold platter. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order oven-ready quail from a butcher and ask whether cleaned heads can be supplied separately. They complete the source presentation, but they contribute no flavor; if they cannot be prepared safely by the butcher, omit them and keep the chaud-froid, case, and jelly border exact.
• •Choose a pale, clear, unsalted chicken stock for the aspic. Clarifying a large stockpot with an egg-white raft was useful brigade scaffolding; measured gelatin and a well-strained stock give the home cook the clean set this dish actually needs.
• •Use greaseproof pleated cases sold for food service, about 4 1/2 by 3 inches (11 by 8 cm). Craft paper is not food-safe, and thin cupcake liners collapse under the bird. Small oval porcelain cases are splendid if you already own them.
• •The coating temperature is the hinge of the recipe. Hot sauce slips from cold quail, while over-chilled sauce sets in ridges before it reaches the legs. Keep the bowl beside warm water and ice so you can correct it by degrees.
• •Serve with a restrained salad of tender lettuce and sharp vinaigrette, good bread, and dry Champagne. The quail, cream, Madeira, truffle, and aspic already have plenty to say.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the aspic up to two days ahead. Keep it covered in its tray and chop it only when thoroughly cold, preferably shortly before assembly.
• •Cook and press the quail a day ahead. Refrigerate them uncovered until cold, then cover lightly so their surfaces remain dry enough to accept the chaud-froid.
• •The finished sauce can be refrigerated overnight with parchment pressed directly against its surface. Rewarm it over gentle water, stirring, and cool it back to 82 to 86°F (28 to 30°C) before coating.
• •Coat and assemble the cases up to 4 hours before serving. Keep them refrigerated and add the chopped aspic border as late as practical so its facets remain sharp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 420g)