Junior League Sauteed Quail With Dried Cherries Recipes

SAUTEED QUAIL IN DOOR COUNTRY CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt butter in large saute pan. Add quail and saute on both sides. Carefully add brandy and flame. Let flame die down and flip the quail in the brandy. Remove quail and place in a small oven-proof pan. Roast for 8 minutes, until internal temperature of quail is 150 degrees F. While the quail are roasting, add the drained dried cherries to the pan along with the cherry juice, sugar and thyme. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the arrowroot mixture and simmer until thickened. Arrowroot will produce a clearer sauce than cornstarch although both will work well. Return quail to the sauce mixture and simmer for 1 minute.

JUNIOR LEAGUE - SAUTEED QUAIL WITH DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• For the quail, whisk the peanut oil, Beaujolais, jelly, soy sauce, shallots, tarragon, salt and pepper in a stainless steel saucepan. Heat just until warm. Pour over the quail in a shallow dish, turning to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to 10 hours, turning occasionally; drain. Saute the quail breast side down in a mixture of the butter and peanut oil in skillet; turn. Cook for 6 minutes longer or until cooked through. Remove the heated plate. Cover to keep warm. Discard pan drippings from the skillet and reserve the skillet to use in the preparation of the sauce.
• For the sauce, pour 1/2 cup of the Beaujolais into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave just until warm. Stir in the cherries. Let stand until plump. Deglaze the reserved skillet with the remaining 1 cup beaujolais. Stir in the shallots. Cook until reduced by half, stirring constantly. Stir in the cherries, stock, jelly and tarragon. Cook until reduced by half, stirring constantly. Whisk in the butter. cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the spinach, saute the spinach in the butter in a skillet until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
• To assemble, divide the spinach evenly among 4 serving plates. Top each serving with 2 quail. Drizzle with the sauce.

BEEF STEW WITH DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut beef into 1 inch cubes. Combine flour, salt, allspice, cinnamon and pepper in a plastic bag. Add beef cubes to bag and shake, coating pieces evenly. Spray a heavy nonstick skillet with nonstick vegetable spray and heat over medium high heat. Add 1/3 of the beef cubes and cook until browned on all sides, stirring frequently (about 5 minutes). Don't crowd the skillet. Transfer meat to a heavy Dutch oven. Repeat with remaining meat in two more batches, ending with all of the browned meat in the Dutch oven.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add oil to skillet. Add onions and cherries. Cook over medium heat until onions are soft and light brown, about 10 minutes (you are basically making caramelized onions). Stir frequently, scraping up all the browned bits from the meat and incorporating into the onions. Mix in the sugar, vinegar and water. Increase heat to medium high and cook until onions brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
• Add onion mixture to the beef in the Dutch oven. Mix in wine, stock and mushrooms. Cover and bake until the beef is tender, about 2 hours. Uncover stew during last 30 minutes of baking if the liquid is still too thin. Add a small amount of beef stock or red wine is it is too dry.
• Serve with rice or noodles to sop up the great sauce.
• Can be made ahead and reheated before serving.

PAN-ROASTED QUAIL WITH DRIED CHERRIES AND PINOT NOIR SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the pinot noir, cherries, shallots, and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the stock and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup. Whisk in the currant jelly, then whisk in 1 tablespoon butter. Season to taste with salt. The sauce should be pleasantly fruity, not too sweet, and slightly viscous, with a nice sheen. Keep it warm while cooking the quail.
• Season the quail with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add half the quail, breast side down.
• Cook about 4 minutes, then turn and cook about 4 minutes on the underside. Maintain a lively heat and keep a little space between the quail so they do not start to steam: you want the skin golden brown and a little crispy. Heat the remaining olive oil and repeat with remaining quail.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt and cook until just wilted, 2-3 minutes. Squeeze the spinach with tongs to remove excess moisture and divide it among four plates. Place 2 quail on each bed of spinach and spoon the warm sauce over the quail.