Roast quail with juniper berries
6 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | eaches | Quail, necks and feet removed |
| 6 | slices | Pancetta, thin, (Italian dry-cured unsmoked bacon) coarsely chopped |
| 6 | slices | Bacon, coarsely chopped |
| 12 | eaches | Sage, leaves, fresh OR |
| ½ | teaspoon | Sage, dried |
| 36 | eaches | Juniper, berries, toasted in dry skillet for 5 minutes |
| Salt (to taste) | ||
| Pepper (to taste) | ||
| ¼ | cup | Oil, olive |
| ¼ | cup | Gin |
| ½ | cup | Wine, white, dry |
| 2 | cups | Stock, Veal ** |
Directions
** Recipes for this ingredient can be found elsewhere in this database.
Preheat your oven to 450 F. Holding quail, breast up, tuck wing tips under. Place a little of the pancetta, a sage leaf, and 2 juniper berries in the cavity of each bird. Sprinkle the cavity and outside of each bird with a little salt and pepper. Push each leg joint downward and fasten it to the carcass with a toothpick, pushing 1 toothpick through both legs.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over very high heat.
Arrange birds in pan, breasts down. Saute, shaking pan occasionally until breasts are lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Place the skillet in the oven and roast 5 to 6 minutes. Use tongs to turn birds' breasts up and continue to roast until golden brown, about 6 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the quail to 6 warm serving plates; keep warm while preparing sauce.
Discard any fat from the skillet and place the pan over medium-high heat. Deglaze the skillet, adding the gin and wine, scraping up any browned bits in a pan. Add your stock and boil gently until reduced enough to coat a spoon lightly. Stir in the remaining juniper berries, adjust your seasonings, and pour this over the birds. Serve immediately.
Source: New York's Master Chefs, Bon Appetit Magazine : Written by Richard Sax, Photographs by Nancy McFarland : The Knapp Press, Los Angeles, 1985 Chef: Seppi Renggli, The Four Seasons Restaurant, New York Owners: Tom Margittai, and Paul Kovi Pastry: Bruno Comin