Roast Quail With Juniper Berries III (Quail)

Servings: 6
Ingredients:

1 x  Gorgonzola Polenta **               1 x  Cranberry Relish **

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12 ea Quail, necks and feet 36 ea Juniper, berries, toasted
– removed — in dry skillet for 5
6 sl Pancetta, thin, (Italian — minutes
– dry-cured unsmoked bacon) Salt (to taste)
– coarsely chopped OR Pepper (to taste)
6 sl Bacon, coarsely chopped 1/4 c Gin
12 ea Sage, leaves, fresh OR 1/2 c Wine, white, dry
1/2 ts Sage, dried 2 c Stock, Veal **
1/4 c Oil, olive

** See recipe for Veal Stock, Gorgonzola Polenta, and Cranberry
Relish.

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

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