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Quail with Cheese and Onion Sauce
Recipe by Ben Macdonald
Try Ben MacDonald's Quail with Cheese and Onion Sauce today!
- Steps
- Ingredients
Ingredients
Pancetta Jus
Cauliflower Puree
Cauliflower Leaves
Prosciutto Crisp
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Steps
- To prepare the quail, separate the legs from each quail, including as much skin as possible. Then place the quail, breast-side down on a chopping board. Using scissors, cut along either side of the backbone to butterfly the quail. Reserve backbone and neck in a saucepan for stock. Carefully run your knife between the rib cage and the meat to separate the breast meat from the bone, ensuring the two breasts stay attached to the skin. Cut through the shoulder joint to detach. Repeat on the other side.
- Remove the wing tips and French the remaining wing.
- To prepare the legs, French each leg and remove the thigh bone, season the meat. Then cut a small slit in the end of the thigh and tuck each leg bone through so the leg is folded in half with the bone exposed. Set the 8 leg pieces and 4 crowns aside, covered in the fridge. Place all bones in the saucepan for the pancetta jus.
- For the Pancetta Jus, make a quail reduction by adding the pancetta rind to the saucepan with the quail bones. Place on a medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes until golden brown.
- Deglaze with white wine, then add 2 cups of water to cover. Reduce for 30 minutes until ½ cup of liquid remains. Strain and place back into the saucepan.
- Meanwhile make a shallot reduction by heating oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Halve shallots lengthways and place cut side down and cook until brown. Cover with 1 cup water and reduce for 20 minutes, until around ½ cup of liquid remains.
- Strain the shallot reduction and add to the quail reduction. Cook on a medium-high heat and reduce further for 15 minutes. Add butter and season with salt, whisking until emulsified. Keep warm.
- For the Cauliflower Puree, chop the cauliflower into florets, setting the leaves aside. Add the cauliflower pieces and milk to a saucepan, then top up with water until the level is about 1cm below the top of the cauliflower. Season with salt.
- Bring to a boil over a medium high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until completely soft. Add the cooked cauliflower and 1/3 cup of the milk to a blender and blend until light and fluffy. If it is too thick, add more liquid.
- Add the lemon and butter and season with salt, blend again until smooth. Add more lemon or salt to taste.
- For the Cauliflower Leaves, make a cheese reduction. In a small stainless pan, add the cheese rind with the cheese side down, and cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes until brown and crispy - like a toasted sandwich.
- Add ¾ cup of water to the pan, taking care of the oil spitting. Cook on a medium heat for 8 minutes to reduce slightly. Remove the cheese from the saucepan.
- Meanwhile, wash the cauliflower leaves and remove the centre stems. Blanch in boiling water for 60 seconds, then refresh in iced water and strain. Add to the saucepan with the cheese reduction and toss to coat the leaves.
- For the Prosciutto Crisp, heat oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the prosciutto and cook until crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel. When cold, break into small chards.
- To cook the quail, heat a large frypan over a medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the crowns, skin side down. Add the legs and cook for 3 minutes moving the legs regularly until browned evenly. Turn the crown over after 2 minutes to brown for 1 minute.
