Quail is one of my favorite birds to eat. They're the perfect size meal for one person and really lend themselves to being stuffed. Their meat is more in the world of duck than in it chicken. Once again, The Fatted Calf was offering pre-stuffed Quails. Now these may not be an option for you, but you can probably find some form of quail at a decent butcher locally. They come partially de-boned so they're ready for stuffing, should you want to go that route. I've done both, but this recipe is using one that is pre-stuffed. I usually make one per person, but they also reheat very well, so feel free to load up on them. In my experience, it's not uncommon to see then frozen in packages of 4, so that's a plus since they're usually vacuumed sealed which saves you a step if they are going to be frozen.

     Being that it is spring time, green garlic is prevalent and really serves as a nice component when you're making sausage. I'll be sure to do a few recipes with quail, regardless of season, to show a few techniques that you can use to prepare them. I wanted to keep this dish simple, so I made a quick pan sauce with mushrooms to add some earthiness, and then strained it to keep the presentation clean. I paired it with some greenbeans at the time, but I'd always lean towards whatever vegetable is in season when you're making the dish. I used my homemade chicken stock as the base for the sauce, so if you haven't made that yet, do yourself a favor and make a big batch of it. It's unbelieveably worth it.

Ingredients

Sauce

• 2/3 cup sauv blanc white wine
• 12oz chicken stock
• .5lbs shittake mushrooms, rough dice
• 3 large shallots
• Kosher Salt

Quail

• 2 Quail de-boned
• Sausage for stuffing, if not already stuffed.

Green Beans

• .5lbs fresh green beans
• 5 cloves garlic
• Salted water for blanching
• Ice for shocking

Mushrooms

• .5lbs King Trumpet Mushrooms

Cookware

• 12" fry or saute pan
• 1/4 sheet rack
• 1/4 sheet tray

Prep

• Quail: If pre-stuffed, remove from packaging, pat dry with paper towel, let rest for at least 20 minutes before cooking.
• Shiitakes: wipe off with damp paper towel. Roughly chop. These will be discarded, so they don't need to be pretty.
• Shallots: peel and dice
• Green Beans: if fresh, snap off top part (with the stem). Quick rinse under cold water. Bring 4qt water to a boil for blanching.
• Garlic: Mince
• King Trumpets: Trim off tough bottoms and reserve for mushroom stock down the road. Cut in half from top to bottom.

Cooking Instructions

Mushrooms

• Toss mushrooms with canola oil, kosher salt and onion powder
• Place on a foil lined quarter sheet pan and roast in a 400º oven for 15 minutes. Test for doneness.
• Set aside

Green Beans

• Blanch the green beans in boiling, salted water for 2 minutes
• Shock in ice water
• Pay dry and lay on paper towels or rack to drain.
• Heat some canola oil in a pan until shimmering. Medium high heat.
• Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. About 1 minute.
• Add the green beans to the pan and a small pinch of salt
• Toss or stir to combine, cook for 3-4 minutes
• Season to taste
• Transfer to a plate and set aside

Pan Sauce

• heat 2-3 tbsp canola oil until shimmering in a medium saucepan
• saute mushrooms 3-5 mins over medium heat
• add diced shallots, saute until translucent
• add wine, reduce by 2/3 over medium-high heat
• add stock, reduce by 1/3 over medium-high heat
• turn off heat
• let sit for 5-10 mins so the flavors meld
• adjust any seasonings

Quail

• Season with kosher salt
• sear in cast iron until golden brown on each side. 3-4 minutes.
• Move to 400 degree oven. Check after 15 mins.
• When testing for a temp, you're going to be checking the sausage since that's the part that will take the longest to cook. You're looking for something around 150-155 degrees assuming you're using pork sausage. If it's a chicken based sausage, then you're shooting for 160 degrees.
• My quail finished around the 25 minute mark, so check for doneness as it goes.
• Let it rest for 5 minutes out of the oven

Finishing

• Strain your sauce after resting through a fine mesh strainer. Bring back up to temp if needed.
• Place the mushrooms back in the oven to reheat. 
• Bring the green beans to temp in your pan
• Bring your quail back up to temp in the oven if needed

Plating

• Ladle the sauce into the center of the dish
• Make a small pile of green beans to serve as a resting spot for the quail
• Lay the quail in on
• Sprinkle with Fleur de Sel or Sel Gris

The Finished Dish