Cailles Cecilia

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •10-inch ovenproof skillet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Food processor
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Small palette knife
• •Wire rack and tray
• •Smooth 1-quart (1 litre) border or ring mould
• •Large bowl for an ice bath
• •Chilled oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Roast the quails

   Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Dry the quails thoroughly, then season them inside and out with about two-thirds of the salt and half the white pepper. Heat the clarified butter in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet and brown the birds briskly on every side, about 4 minutes altogether. Set them breast-side up and roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until the thickest thigh reaches 160°F (71°C); the temperature should rise to 165°F (74°C) while they rest. Do not roast beyond that point. Juiciness is the first obligation of the dish.

   Quails are small enough to pass from juicy to dry while you look for a serving plate. Use a thermometer, not optimism.
2. 2

   Capture the fond

   Transfer the quails to a rack. Pour ½ cup (120 ml) of the chicken stock into the hot skillet and scrape until every browned patch dissolves into the liquid. Strain this concentrated fond into a small bowl and reserve it for the chaud-froid. Nothing on that pan floor is waste; it is the sauce's backbone.

3. 3

   Cool before carving

   Leave the quails on the rack for 15 minutes, then refrigerate them uncovered until completely cold, at least 45 minutes. Cover them once cold. Do not raise the fillets while the flesh is warm, however tempting it is to keep moving; warm breast meat tears along the grain, while cold meat lifts cleanly from the breastbone.

4. 4

   Build brown chaud-froid

   Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and leave it to bloom for 5 minutes. Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook over medium-low heat until the roux reaches a clear hazelnut brown. Whisk in the reserved quail fond and the remaining chicken stock a little at a time, then simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes, whisking often, until about 1 cup (240 ml) remains and the sauce coats a spoon. Remove it from the heat, whisk in the bloomed gelatin, strain through a fine sieve, and correct the salt and white pepper. Stir the sauce over a bowl of ice until it flows in a thick, even ribbon. If it sets before the fillets are ready, ça se rattrape: warm it briefly over barely warm water and stir until fluid again. Never boil it after adding the gelatin.

5. 5

   Raise and skin fillets

   Working with one cold quail at a time, run a small sharp knife against each side of the breastbone and lift away the two breast fillets whole. Peel off their skins without gouging the flesh. Pick every usable piece of meat from the legs and back, rejecting bones, cartilage, and hard tendons, then weigh this recovered meat. Keep the eight breast fillets and the picked meat cold. If a breast splits, align the pieces closely; the purée and coating will bind them. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Make the binding purée

   Cut eight firm slices from the chilled foie gras, each about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, and trim them to echo the shape of the breast fillets. Return the slices to the refrigerator. Weigh out exactly as much foie gras as the recovered quail meat, then process the two together until smooth and press the purée through a fine sieve. Taste before adding any remaining salt or pepper, since foie gras terrine is already seasoned. The equal weight is not negotiable; it is the ratio given to the dish. If the purée becomes greasy or soft in the machine, spread it on a cold plate and refrigerate it for 10 minutes before continuing.

7. 7

   Join quail and foie

   Lay the eight foie gras slices on a chilled tray. Divide the quail and foie gras purée among them, spreading it from edge to edge, then press one skinned breast fillet onto each slice. Use a small palette knife to smooth the purée flush around the sides, filling any gaps without hiding the shape of the fillet. Chill the assembled pieces for 15 minutes, until firm enough to lift without shifting.

8. 8

   Mask with chaud-froid

   Set the assembled fillets on a wire rack over a tray, foie gras side down. The chaud-froid should be cool, fluid, and thick enough to hide the surface in one pass. Spoon it over each fillet until the top and sides are completely masked, then refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Patch only bare spots. If the sauce slides off, either the fillets or the sauce are too warm; chill both for 5 minutes, stir the sauce smooth, and coat again.

9. 9

   Clothe and decorate mould

   Chill a smooth 1-quart (1 litre) border mould. Melt the very limpid aspic only until fluid, then cool it until it no longer feels warm. Following Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916), pour a few spoonfuls into the mould and rotate it steadily over a bowl of ice until a thin, even clear layer clings to every surface. Arrange the truffle slices against the bottom in a simple border, fix them with drops of aspic, and cover them with a ½-inch (1.25 cm) layer of aspic. Chill until firmly set.

10. 10

    Set the border

    Stand the coated fillets evenly around the mould, close together, with their rounded quail sides facing outward. Fix each with a few drops of aspic and chill until it cannot move. Pour in enough aspic to rise halfway around the fillets and chill again until tacky, then fill the mould slowly to the rim. This brief two-stage filling replaces a brigade's repeated trips to broken ice and prevents the fillets from floating. If one shifts, stop pouring, ease it back with a cold spoon, and set the first layer before continuing.

11. 11

    Chill until firm

    Cover the filled mould without touching its surface and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. The aspic must be cold through to the centre before turning out. Do not freeze it; freezing clouds the jelly and weakens its clean set once thawed.

12. 12

    Turn out cleanly

    Lay a clean folded white linen napkin on a chilled platter. To turn out the aspic as directed by Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916), dip the mould to just below its rim in warm water for 5 seconds, dry the outside, and invert it firmly over the napkin. If it does not release, repeat the dip for only 2 seconds. A long bath melts the decoration before the centre loosens. Chill the unmoulded Cailles Cecilia for 10 minutes, then cut between the fillets with a knife dipped in warm water and wiped dry. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use firm cooked foie gras terrine, not mousse. Mousse cannot be cut into the matching slices the construction requires, and a raw lobe introduces a separate poaching job without improving this small mould.
• •Test the prepared aspic before committing the dish. Chill a teaspoonful for 10 minutes; it should cut cleanly rather than slump. If it is weak, remelt and correct it according to its own preparation before clothing the mould.
• •Clarity matters. A cloudy jelly hides the truffle and turns the careful assembly murky, while a very limpid aspic makes every layer legible. Straining removes particles, but it cannot clarify a stock that began cloudy.
• •Serve with brut Champagne or a mineral white Burgundy. The wine needs enough acidity to cut the foie gras and aspic, not sweetness that competes with them.

Advance Preparation

• •The entire mould may be assembled up to 36 hours before serving. Keep it covered and cold, then unmould shortly before the guests come to the table.
• •The quails and brown chaud-froid may be prepared one day ahead. Keep them separately refrigerated and rewarm the sauce gently over warm water until it regains its coating consistency.
• •Cut the foie gras slices and truffle decorations while both are thoroughly cold. Hold them covered in the refrigerator, separated by parchment, until assembly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 465g)