If you haven’t tried quail, you’re in for a treat. If you’re an old hand, you know how good these little birds are, like tiny, tasty chickens. Here, I’ve cooked them in a classic creamy French sauce with white wine, tarragon and grapes.
It’s one I tested for my latest game class at Mrs Portly’s Kitchen and although my students will be going home with a different recipe this time (for reasons I won’t bore you with) it’s a lovely dish and perfect for a quick but classy supper for two.
A couple of things to bear in mind – look out for jumbo quail or you’ll have a starter rather than a main course. I’m lucky to have Mallard Moat Quail almost on my doorstep but you can buy them online from the likes of the Wild Meat Company. If you can’t source them you might prefer chicken. Take a look at Delia’s recipe, from her book One Is Fun, to which I owe a debt of gratitude.
Also, the grapes in the sauce should, according to French tradition, be peeled. I don’t mind stuffing a mushroom but life’s too short to be peeling grapes. It’s an exercise in futility. Perfectionists, however, might like to know that it’s a task made marginally easier by plunging the grapes into hot water for 60 seconds.
Quail Véronique
Ingredients:
2 or 3 jumbo quail, spatchocked and split in half down the backbone
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil
1 heaped tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, picked from the stems, plus more to garnish
150ml dry white wine
60ml double cream
100g green grapes, halved
Method:
Season the birds will salt and pepper. Put a deep frying pan on a medium-high heat, melt the butter with the oil and brown the birds skin side down. Turn and seal the other side. Remove to a plate.
In the same pan, fry the onions until softened. Return the quail portions, skin side up, add the tarragon and wine, cover tightly and cook on the gentlest of simmers for 15-20 minutes, or until the birds are tender. Remove them from the pan and keep warm while you finish the sauce.
Increase the heat and let it bubble until it’s more syrupy, then add the cream and grapes and reduce again until it’s thickened to your liking. Check the seasoning, put the birds back in and sprinkle with the reserved tarragon. Serve from the pan or dish up, two portions per person, onto warmed plates. We ate our quail with peas and tiny cubes of sautéed potatoes.
This is a lovely recipe Linda, and the addition of the grapes is perfect. I wouldn’t peel them either!
We have a nice quail farm very close to us, and ours are a bit smaller.
Thanks so much, Dorothy, so glad you like it. A classic sauce for good reason!
What a lovely dish! One of those classic recipes that tends to get overlooked these days (at least on this side of the pond). I do love quails but I have to confess it’s been years since I’ve cooked or eaten one. This looks like an ideal way to get acquainted.
And yes, I agree about the grapes. I think I tried peeling once… I just don’t have the motor skills—or the patience!
I’m sure a French-trained chef would say peeling grapes improves the texture but honestly, there’s not enough time in the day. Glad you like the recipe, Frank, thank you. If you can’t get quail it works well with chicken thighs, though they might take a bit longer.
i do like quail but they are such boney little beggars! i remember having them wrapped in vine leaves and stuffed with cheese at a restaurant. that was not a pleasant dish for some reason! but i’m sure yours is.
These were jumbo quail, so there’s a bit more meat on them. 🙂