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Quail How to


FoodMan

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I picked 12 quails at a local market and I am planning on making them the main feature for a nice Valentine's day dinner. My main question is:

How difficult it is to properly de-bone these birds?

I checked both my D'artagnan book where they have a small paragraph about the subject and Pepin's Complete Technique where he goes into more and clearer detail as to how to de-bone a squab by turning it inside out. They both seem time consuming but doable. Any additional tips and hints?

Since we are on the subject, what is your favorite way to cook them?

I was thinking either stuffing with some kind of bread pudding and roasting or maybe pan frying and topping with sauce.

Elie

E. Nassar
Houston, TX

My Blog
contact: enassar(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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I can't even imagine how to de-bone them, but I bet it is an exciting process. I would love to know how it goes.

But now I have cooked them and they are great.

Two ways I like them... One grilled after they have been marinated in OO, garlic rosemary and cilantro. Grill them so the breast skin is nice and crispy. Unbelievable when done just crispy enough. Be careful with the OO on the grill it tends to flame up , a lot :smile: .

Secondly make some homemade sausage, I use a boudin. and stuff them then just sauté them in some better to get a nice brown breast skin and pop them in the oven until the sausage is hot. I use the boudin for two reasons, one it already cooked so you only have to heat is and two the spiciness of the boudin goes well with the gamy flavor of the quail.

Good luck and it would be nice to know how it goes.

Treat everyone the same, like a VIP...

Something gave its life for what you are about to eat... Respect the food...

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Yeah, I've never de-boned them either. I use quail for Moroccan-style B'stilla but have also pan-fried them with pomegranate molasses glaze.

Hmmm... me-thinks I should pick some up for the V-Day as well! :wub:

This recipe from Epicurious is from Michael Lomonaco and looks good!

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Jacques Pepin lays out how to de-bone a quail, or any small bird, in La Technique or its modern edition, "Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques" (La Technique and La Methode in 1 volume). Quite easy, follows his technique for larger birds.

Cheers,

Paul

-Paul

 

Remplis ton verre vuide; Vuide ton verre plein. Je ne puis suffrir dans ta main...un verre ni vuide ni plein. ~ Rabelais

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I've boned out lots of birds, but never a quail. Easy, but tedious for someone who does not have the background of Jacques Pepin. I can't imagine boning out 12 at the same time. Plan on taking at least four times as long as you could ever imagine, and have a lot of your favorite music playing, to help you keep sane. Skip the wine, you'll be drunk before you finish.

Very sharp knife.

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Did this many years ago - yes it takes time - clear a couple of hours, put on your favourite music and take a seat! inevitably you get quicker as you go along, though

Start taking out the wishbone and work down the carcass peeling it away like a little bag. Try not to tear the skin, though you inevitable do

Didn't bother to debone the legs (for obvious reasons!) though this can be done with poussins and chickens

If I recall I stuffed them with apples and sausagement and roasted them. Quite cool when you bring them out and people find out you can cut right through the middle :biggrin:

cheerio

J

More Cookbooks than Sense - my new Cookbook blog!
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I've deboned six quails at a time on occasion. It's do-able, but tedious enough so that I try to find partially boned quail when I can. A sharp knife is, indeed, very necessary, as is patience, though, yeah, you get quicker as you go.

As for cooking, 12 is a lot to pan-fr. Grilling might be your best bet, or a cast iron griddle (one that fits over two burners) maybe?

I always like quail best with vaguely Moroccan/Tunisian spices, raz-al-hanout or something similar.

A jumped-up pantry boy who never knew his place.

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If I recall I stuffed them with apples and sausagement and roasted them. Quite cool when you bring them out and people find out you can cut right through the middle 

That is exactly why I want to debone them, or at least remove the breast and backbones (for only two of us I might make six not the whole dozen). Also my wife is a little put off by their size if they had bones and she will enjoy them much more without them.

Thanks for the input, I guess I will go with Pepin's Technique book and learn as I go...hmm I might end up using all 12 I guess due to trial and erorr :smile:

Elie

E. Nassar
Houston, TX

My Blog
contact: enassar(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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If I recall I stuffed them with apples and sausagement and roasted them. Quite cool when you bring them out and people find out you can cut right through the middle 

That is exactly why I want to debone them, or at least remove the breast and backbones (for only two of us I might make six not the whole dozen). Also my wife is a little put off by their size if they had bones and she will enjoy them much more without them.

Thanks for the input, I guess I will go with Pepin's Technique book and learn as I go...hmm I might end up using all 12 I guess due to trial and erorr :smile:

Elie

For two people, 6 will be ample. I generally count on folks eating two quail apiece, and I always make an extra or two in case someone's ravenous.

A jumped-up pantry boy who never knew his place.

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It takes me about 10-15 minutes to carefully debone one. It's basically the same as deboning a chicken, which I'm sure you can find lots of descriptions of, but harder because there's less room for error. A good knife really helps. My flexible Global boning knife made a world of difference when I got it. Plan on about 30 minutes for the first couple if you've never done it. I'd really suggest practicing on a chicken first, though, just to see where the trouble spots are.

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I usually see the quail sold as semi boned, where the cavity is deboned and perfect for stuffing, but the legs still are perfect little drumsticks.

My favorite method is stuffing them with a jalapeño then wrapping that little bad boy in bacon and throwing it on the grill. Not very romantic, but damn tasty.

a few interesting recipes I found:

Quail Wellington

Grilled Quail with Pomegranate Molasses and Horseradish Glaze with Spicy Walnuts and Tangerine Vinaigrette

PAN-ROASTED QUAIL WITH PORT SAUCE

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FoodMan;

Another option if you're interested. I had a boned quail (leg bones in) with albufera sauce a couple of years ago that was absolutely superb. I think it was pan fried (skin on breast was delightfully crispy), then sauced just prior to serving. I'm salivating just thinking about it :laugh:.

At that time, I didn't even know what albufera sauce was, but was told by the restaurant that it was a white sauce (veloute) with foie gras whipped in. I asked the same question here on eGullet, and there was some difference of opinion as to exactly how the sauce is made, which we discussed here. Let us know how this adventure (espeically the boning) turns out.

THW

"My only regret in life is that I did not drink more Champagne." John Maynard Keynes

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These are tricky, but it is worth deboning them I think. Adds so much to the presentation.

Be very careful not to dry the little guys out when you cook them though. I had one oven roasted in a restaurant last night that was stuffed with shrimp. Not the best flavor combination and it was all too dry. I like the idea of the moroccan inspiration.

What's wrong with peanut butter and mustard? What else is a guy supposed to do when we are out of jelly?

-Dad

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Semi-deboning (clearing out the cavity, but leaving the legs and wings intact) is decidedly the way to go. I'm sure I could bone out the limbs as well, if I really needed to, but I'd need to have a long walk and a stiff drink afterwards.

I grabbed quail on impulse for an in-class cooking competition at school. The first one took me about fifteen minutes, the second eight, and the third (and ensuing) about four or five minutes each. I started by cutting out the backbone with a sharp knifetip (shears would be good, too). Then, opening the bird up, I broke the wishbone with my fingers and cut it out. Follow the wishbone down to the shoulder blades, and sever that at the joint where it joins the wing. Run the tip of your knife down either side of the keelbone, and pull it up with your fingers. Cut the breast meat away from it as you lift gently.

If you have a thin, flexible boning knife, you can slide it beneath the ribs quite easily to cut them away; much like cutting away the ribs of a salmon side. After that it's just a matter of running a fingertip gingerly around the cavity to check for any missed bones; and then rolling the wee beastie back into shape around your filling of choice.

This is probably not the canonical way to do it, but it works.

As with any piece of delicate work, a sharp knife is *really* important. I prefer a flexible boning knife for delicate work, a shorter stiff one for heavier pieces. When you are sharpening a boning knife, pay special attention to the tip where the blade curves. This is your "fingertip", and with a delicate touch you'll feel the bones just as well with the knife as you do with your finger.

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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Especially for Valentines Day, you may want to consider Robb Walsh's Quail in Rose Petal Sauce, based on a scene in the novel Like Water For Chocolate. (The link takes you to an excerpt from his new book, Are You Really Going To Eat That?, including the recipe.)

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Well I practiced on a couple of cornish hens yesterday (I purposfully picked the smallest I could find, under 1lb). the first one took about 15 minutes and was a little messed up in the back but ok, the second one about 10 minutes and came out near perfect :smile:. Hopefully this should help me when doing the quails, and if all else fails then I will just follow Chromedome's advice.

Richard the one with rose petal sauce is on top of my list, I do have the book and was thinking about trying it out.

Elie

E. Nassar
Houston, TX

My Blog
contact: enassar(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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