Grives ou Merles à la Bonne-Femme

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch heavy skillet or sauté pan
• •3-quart lidded cocotte or shallow covered casserole
• •Small wire rack for the croûtons
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Tongs or two sturdy spoons

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat and arrange

   Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and place a 3-quart lidded cocotte inside, with its lid beside it, so both become thoroughly hot. Tie each quail's legs together if they splay, then pat the birds dry again. Measure the brandy into a small cup, arrange the butter and poitrine salée beside the stove, and set out a rack for the croûtons. Once the birds enter the skillet, there should be no hunt for a spoon or serving dish.

   Warm four heatproof dinner plates alongside the cocotte for the final few minutes. The hot plates are practical here, not ceremony.
2. 2

   Fry the croûtons

   Melt the croûton butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. When the foam quiets, add the bread squares in one layer and fry until crisp and deeply golden on both sides, turning them as necessary, about 4 to 6 minutes. Move them to the rack rather than paper, which traps moisture underneath. If they soften while waiting, return them to a dry skillet for 30 seconds just before service.

3. 3

   Sauté bacon and quail

   Wipe loose crumbs from the skillet and melt 2 tablespoons of the sautéing butter over medium heat, keeping the final tablespoon nearby. Add the poitrine salée and cook until its fat turns translucent and the tiny edges begin to bronze, about 3 minutes. Add the quail breast-side down, leaving room between them, and sauté for 12 to 15 minutes, rolling them onto every side and basting constantly with the butter and rendered pork fat. Add the reserved tablespoon of butter as the pan dries. The birds are ready when their skin is evenly burnished and the thickest part of each thigh reaches 165°F (74°C).

   Nutty-smelling butter with hazelnut-colored flecks is welcome; black flecks and an acrid smell mean it has scorched. Lift out the quail and pork immediately, wipe the skillet, and return them with the reserved clean butter. Ça se rattrape.
4. 4

   Dress the hot cocotte

   Remove the hot cocotte from the oven and add the full 1/3 cup of serving butter, swirling until it melts. Transfer the quail and every dice of poitrine salée into it, leaving the sautéing skillet and its fond undisturbed. Set the cocotte over low heat for 1 minute and baste the birds with the fresh butter. Arrange the crisp square croûtons around them, keeping their browned faces visible.

5. 5

   Lift the fond

   Take the sautéing skillet completely off the burner before adding the measured brandy, and never pour directly from the bottle. Scrape the bronze fond into the brandy, then return the skillet to low heat for 15 to 20 seconds, just until the liquid becomes a few fragrant, glossy spoonfuls. If any patch of fond is black, leave it behind; swirl the brandy with a teaspoon of clean butter from the cocotte instead. Spoon the pan swillings over the quail and croûtons, cover at once, and carry the cocotte directly to the table. Do not hold it. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Wild thrushes and blackbirds are protected, restricted, or unavailable through ordinary retail in many jurisdictions. Don't improvise around wildlife law. Farmed jumbo quail give the correct small-bird shape, quick cooking, and delicate flesh, though their flavor is milder than wild game.
• •The source calls for salted breast of bacon, meaning poitrine salée. Choose unsmoked salt pork, not smoky breakfast bacon; smoke would dominate the quail and brandy. Because the pork seasons the whole pan, no additional salt is needed.
• •The 1/3 cup of butter in the cocotte preserves the source's exact proportion of 2/3 ounce per bird. It is serving butter, separate from the butter used to sauté the quail and fry the croûtons. We don't apologize for butter.
• •Use only the flavorings the preparation calls for. No garlic, herbs, stock, or cream. Cooking well is not cooking fancy, and the restraint lets the browned bird, salted pork, and brandy speak clearly.
• •Pour a light, lively red such as Beaujolais. Its fruit suits the quail and its freshness cuts through the butter and poitrine salée without bullying either.

Advance Preparation

• •The quail can be dried, tied, and refrigerated uncovered for up to 4 hours. Take them from the cold about 20 minutes before cooking so the outside loses its chill.
• •Cut the poitrine salée and bread several hours ahead, keeping the pork covered in the cold and the bread at room temperature.
• •The croûtons may be fried up to 2 hours ahead and held uncovered on a rack. Recrisp them for 30 seconds in a dry skillet if necessary. The quail themselves must be cooked and served immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)