Roast Quail With Fresh Figs Recipes

QUEEN'S CHOICE QUAIL WITH FIG AND DATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Early in the day, place the limes in s small bowl and microwave them for about 3 minutes to release the essential oils. Set aside briefly until they are just cool enough to handle. Rinse the quail and dry with paper towels. Set the quail in a non-reactive bowl and squeeze the lime juice over, and then season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Let sit refrigerated for about 3 or 4 hours.
• While the quail are marinating, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a medium saute pan and saute the shallots until translucent. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, and stir in figs and dates and let sauce reduce by half. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper as needed.
• On the episode, the quail were roasted over a spit. If you have a rotisserie arrangement you can roast them that way. Otherwise, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine olive oil with rosemary, thyme, and salt, and rub over surface of the quail. Roast until tender but still juicy, about 20 minutes. Remove and let rest. Serve with fig and date sauce.

PAN ROASTED QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place 1 truffle shaving and 1 shallot into the cavity of each quail. Season the quail with salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil over high heat in a large heavy bottomed ovenproof skillet. Place the quail in the skillet breast side down and cook until the skin is golden brown in color. Turn the quail and cook for 3 more minutes. Place the skillet directly in the oven and roast for approximately 10 minutes. Let the quail rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onion, shallot and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the quinoa and toast until golden, stirring to brown evenly. Add the kosher salt. Add 1 cup of water and simmer the quinoa until all the water is absorbed. Add remaining 2 cups of water, 1 at a time, simmering until quinoa is tender.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the prosciutto, thyme and lemon zest.
• Yield: 6 servings
• Preparation Time: 15 minutes
• Cooking Time: 40 minutes
• Place the cider, white wine vinegar and brown sugar together in a stainless steel pot.
• Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add in the dried dates, Granny Smith apple, garlic and ginger. Cook for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
• Stir in the fresh figs, paprika, cardamom and kosher salt. Cook for 5 minutes.
• The chutney will keep for several weeks stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

ROAST QUAIL WITH FRESH FIGS

Steps:

• Cook onion, celery, and garlic in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden, about 10 minutes. Add demi-glace and boil, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in tarragon, vinegar, walnuts, dried figs, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper, then spread stuffing on a plate to cool.
• Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown figs, cut sides down, without stirring, about 3 minutes. Transfer figs to a bowl with a slotted spatula. Add shallot and celery to skillet and sauté, stirring, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add wine and 8 to 10 browned fig halves (reserve remainder) and boil, stirring and mashing figs, until wine is reduced to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Stir in demi-glace and bring to a boil. Stir arrowroot into vinegar until dissolved, then add to skillet, whisking to incorporate. Boil sauce 2 minutes, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a 2-quart heavy saucepan, pressing on and then discarding solids. Stir in tarragon, salt, and pepper.
• Discard any disposable metal skewers from cavity of each quail, then rinse quail inside and out and pat dry. Stuff 1 quail with a scant 1/4 cup stuffing, pressing and shaping it to fill out breast. Tie legs together with string and push legs up against body. Thread cavity closed with a wooden pick. Repeat with remaining quail.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sprinkle quail all over with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon each butter and oil in cleaned 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown 6 quail on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer with tongs to a large shallow baking pan. Wipe skillet clean and brown remaining 6 quail in same manner in remaining tablespoon each of butter and oil.
• Remove strings and picks from all quail, then roast quail, breast sides up, until just cooked through (check inner thigh - meat will still be slightly pink), 10 to 15 minutes. Add reserved browned figs to pan for last 2 to 3 minutes of roasting.
• While quail roast, return sauce to a simmer, then add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, whisking until incorporated.
• Transfer quail and figs to a serving dish and pour any juices from baking pan into sauce. Serve quail with sauce.
• Do Ahead: Stuffing can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before proceeding. Figs and sauce (without remaining 2 tablespoons butter) can be prepared 1 day ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled separately, covered. Bring sauce to a simmer before adding butter. Quail can be browned 1 hour before roasting. Keep quail, uncovered, at room temperature.

QUAILS WITH FIGS & WALNUT SAUCE

Steps:

• To make a marinade, mix the herbs, lemon zest, brandy, seasoning and 6 tbsp olive oil in a large dish. Season the birds and spoon some marinade into the cavities. Roll them in the rest of the marinade, then cover and chill overnight.
• For the walnut sauce, whizz the garlic and walnuts together with a little salt in a small food processor until finely chopped. Add the oil in a thin stream, as though you're making a mayonnaise. Stir in 2 tbsp warm water. Season with pepper, add the parsley and set aside.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. To cook the quail, wipe any herbs from the breast area. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and, when really hot, quickly brown the birds all over, in batches, colouring but not cooking the meat.
• Put a piece of butter inside each bird and put them into a roasting tin. Roast in the oven for 15-20 mins, depending on whether you like the meat to be a little pink, adding a quarter of the vermouth after 10 mins. Put the figs in a small gratin dish in a single layer. Drizzle with the honey and balsamic, then season. Roast for 20 mins, alongside the quail, basting during cooking. The figs should be dark and tender but holding their shape. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
• Put the quail on a warm platter and cover. Put the roasting tin on the hob over a high heat. Add the rest of the vermouth, bring to the boil and bubble until there's 150ml left. Add the stock and boil until you have a slightly syrupy sauce, enough for 2 tbsp per serving of quail. Put two birds on each plate and spoon over the reduced sauce. Serve with three fig halves each and the walnut sauce.