Cailles Richelieu Froides

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) lidded sauté pan or shallow casserole
• •8-inch (20 cm) square deep glass or ceramic serving dish
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Cold saucer for testing the gelée
• •Low tray larger than the serving dish

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the julienne

   Cut the carrot, turnip, celery, and leek into julienne, fine matchsticks about 1½ inches (4 cm) long and no thicker than a match. Uniformity matters because all four vegetables must soften together while remaining visible in the gelée. Rinse the leek thoroughly after cutting, then drain and dry every vegetable; grit has no rescue once sealed beneath clear cooking liquor.

   A mandoline with a julienne blade is an honest home equivalent for a commis with a sharp knife, but finish long or irregular pieces by hand so the garnish cooks evenly.
2. 2

   Brown the quails

   Season the quails inside and out with the salt and white pepper. Melt half the butter in a 12-inch (30 cm) lidded sauté pan over medium heat. When the foam subsides, brown the quails on the breast, back, and both sides, about 6 minutes altogether, turning carefully so the skin stays intact. They need a quiet golden color, not a dark roasting crust. If the butter blackens, lift out the birds, wipe away the burnt specks, and continue with fresh butter. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Braise with julienne

   Transfer the quails to a plate and add the remaining butter to the pan. Cook the carrot, turnip, celery, and leek for 3 minutes, turning them until glossy but not browned. Set the quails breast-side up over the julienne, drape each with a slice of bacon, and tuck in the bouquet garni. Pour the Madeira around the birds and let it reduce by half, then add the stock. The liquid should reach about two-thirds of the way up the quails.

4. 4

   Hold a bare tremble

   Cover the pan and hold the cooking liquor at the barest tremble for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the quails once, until the thickest part of a thigh reaches 165°F (74°C). Boiling toughens the small birds and clouds the liquor. If the pan begins to boil, pull it off the heat for a minute, then return it over a lower flame. The quails should feel yielding at the leg joint while the breasts remain plump.

5. 5

   Arrange the cold dish

   Lift away and discard the bacon and bouquet garni. Place the four quails breast-side up in a snug 8-inch (20 cm) square deep dish, arranged as a compact square. Use a slotted spoon to distribute the julienne around and between them without crushing it. The close arrangement is practical: it lets a modest amount of cooking liquor cover the birds completely.

6. 6

   Test the gelée

   Pass the cooking liquor through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, without pressing the vegetables left in the sieve, and simmer gently until about 2½ cups (600 ml) remain. Taste it warm. It should be clear in flavor, slightly more seasoned than an ordinary hot sauce, and distinctly savory, because the cold will soften everything. Put a teaspoonful on a cold saucer and chill it for 5 minutes. It should form a delicate wobbling gelée that yields immediately to a spoon.

7. 7

   Reinforce if needed

   If the saucer test remains liquid, bloom the powdered gelatin in the cold water for 5 minutes. Use 1 teaspoon if the liquor has begun to thicken, or the full 2 teaspoons if it shows no sign of setting. Whisk the bloomed gelatin into the hot liquor off the heat until dissolved, then repeat the test. Do not boil after adding it, or the gelée may weaken. Ça se rattrape: unreliable stock needs reinforcement, not a new sauce.

8. 8

   Cover and chill

   Let the liquor cool for about 10 minutes, until warm but still completely fluid, then pour it through the clean sieve over the arranged quails and julienne, covering the birds. If a quail floats or shifts, pour in only half the liquor, chill the dish until that layer becomes tacky, reposition the bird, and add the remainder. Refrigerate uncovered once the dish has stopped radiating strong heat, cover when cold, and chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

9. 9

   Lift away the fat

   When the gelée is completely firm, loosen the opaque fat at one corner with the tip of a small knife and lift it away in sheets. This is the step the dish teaches: do not chase warm grease around the surface. Cold gathers it into something you can remove cleanly. Pick up remaining beads with a spoon dipped in hot water and wiped dry; if the gelée is nicked, smooth the mark with the warmed back of that spoon.

10. 10

    Serve over ice

    Fill a low tray with the crushed ice and nestle the square dish securely into it, keeping the rim above the melting water. This replaces the original block of ice without changing its purpose. Serve one quail per person with a generous spoonful of julienne and gelée, and keep the dish over ice throughout service. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose quails of equal size so they finish together. Frozen birds are perfectly honorable here; thaw them completely in the refrigerator and dry them well before seasoning.
• •Test your stock before cooking by chilling a spoonful. If it sets softly, the cooking liquor will usually need no powdered gelatin. A carton stock that stays entirely liquid when cold will need the measured reinforcement.
• •Use unsmoked bacon or fatback. Its work is to protect the small breasts during braising, not to perfume the finished gelée with smoke, and it is removed before the dish is assembled.
• •The finished gelée should tremble and melt readily on the tongue. A firm, bouncing set means too much gelatin; serve it slightly less cold and use less reinforcement next time.
• •A dry Champagne suits the cool quail, Madeira, and savory gelée without overwhelming them. Put small sharp knives at the table, since each guest receives a whole bird.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the complete dish the day before serving. The long chill gives the cooking liquor time to set cleanly and allows the fat to gather into an easily removed sheet.
• •The julienne can be cut up to 6 hours ahead, wrapped in a damp towel, and refrigerated. Keep the leek separate after rinsing so it does not dampen the root vegetables.
• •Keep the finished dish covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Once it is set over ice for service, return leftovers to the refrigerator within 2 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 280g)