I can't imagine anyone at the party not being blown away with your quail presentation. It certainly screams "special" and whose to say they aren't partridges?

That is one singular sensation, every little step they take. One thrilling combination, for sure.

I usually leave them whole and wrap a slice of good bacon around it and secure with a toothpick. Then I dredge in flour and fry until the bacon is cooked and the exposed quail is browned. I then place on a bed of seasoned rice (varies from time to time) and cook in the oven until done.

I have some in the freezer so will try to remember to take a picture next time I do them. Yours look really pretty tho.

Moe loves quail so I make them occasionally. They are great boned and stuffed, but also grilled.

Ann

I like them wrapped in bacon and roasted, soak raisins in brandy overnight or for a few hours, then deglaze the pan with the raisins and brandy and add a little cream. The flavours are very festive.

Wow dcarch.
Very impressive presentation. I'm interested in how you cooked the rice.

Where/how can I learn to present my food like that?

Ok, don't laugh, but I've been staring at your quail presentation... I can't help you on the recipe, as I've never prepared quail (though I love to eat it!)... but from a pure design standpoint, the red cabbage leaves keep jumping out at me... maybe it's a clash of colors with the red pomegranate sauce, maybe the thought of raw cabbage clashes with what I'm "tasting" when I look at it, but, how about a green leaf... slightly blanched red swiss chard perhaps?

Always a pleasure to see your photo/subject line combos.

Ann

"and whose to say they aren't partridges?"

My thoughts exactly!

A very attractive, unusual, and festive presentation, as usual, dcarch.
But I kind of thought the leaves were Raddichio, rather than cabbage.
But what do I know.

I've never prepared Quail, either.
I find the simple (appearing) preparation and outstanding presentation very appealing and festive.
And very special.

What do you have in the wild rice?

Thanks for sharing!

Rusty

I have made this recipe many times. I always get compliments on the dish.

Quail in Wine

salt, pepper, flour
6 to 8 quail
6 Tblsp. butter
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup Madeira wine
1 cup consomme
1 rib celery, quartered
1 thin slice lemon per bird
chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly salt and pepper each bird. Lightly dredge in flour. Brown until golden in melted butter. (If butter burns, discard and replace with fresh) Remove birds to baking dish. Saute mushrooms in remaining butter; add wine and consomme and bring to boil. Pour over birds. Add celery and lemon slices; sprinkle with parsley. Cover and bake for 1 hour or until tender. When done; remove celery and lemon slices from sauce. Serve with wild rice (or gruyere grits) topped with sauce. Serve 2 quail per person.

They go nicely with gruyere grits.

Gruyere Grits

1 cup grated gruyere cheese
quart of milk
2 cup butter
1 cup of quick (not instant) grits
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring milk and butter to a boil. Gradually add grits. Bring to a second boil. Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix with electric mixer until creamy. Add grated gruyere cheese with a wooden spoon. Pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle Parmesan on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Can be made and refrigerated a day or so in advance. Let sit at room temp for about an hour before baking.

Posted by mustangs “I can't imagine anyone at the party not being blown away with your quail presentation. It certainly screams "special" and whose to say they aren't partridges?”

Thank you very much. You gave me an idea. That’ right, not many people can tell the difference between quails and partridges.

Posted by dedtired “That is one singular sensation, every little step they take. One thrilling combination, for sure.”
Thanks. I thought quails would be more special than turkey, chicken, duck, or pheasant, especially when accompanied by wild rice.

Posted by soonergrandmom “I usually leave them whole and wrap a slice of good bacon around it and secure with a toothpick. Then I dredge in flour and fry until the bacon is cooked and the exposed quail is browned. I then place on a bed of seasoned rice (varies from time to time) and cook in the oven until done. I have some in the freezer so will try to remember to take a picture next time I do them. Yours look really pretty tho.”

Thanks. I was hesitant about bacon. Now that you mentioned it, does sound pretty good. I may try that.

Posted by ann_t “Moe loves quail so I make them occasionally. They are great boned and stuffed, but also grilled. “

Thank you for posting your quails. They look like perfectly grilled. Of course I am not surprised. I may try grilling also, if and when it stops raining outside. :-)

Posted by islay_corbel “I like them wrapped in bacon and roasted, soak raisins in brandy overnight or for a few hours, then deglaze the pan with the raisins and brandy and add a little cream. The flavours are very festive.”

Thanks for the suggestion. Once more, I am convinced that I should try bacon. May be I should use sun dried cranberries instead of raisins, and Herbs De Provence I still have from France. May be I can tell the guests that these are Ortolan Buntings? :-)

Posted by jasdip “Wow dcarch. Very impressive presentation. I'm interested in how you cooked the rice.”

Thanks. Good question. How? I cooked the rice with a lot of respect.
Just kidding. :-)
I think I have a great simple way. Wild rice with chestnuts boiled in pure chicken stock, salt and pepper.

Posted by punamytsike “Where/how can I learn to present my food like that?”

Thanks. To me there are three major types of food plating:
1. Elaborate carving, (food topiary)i.e. carving a carrot to look like a butterfly, a radish to look like a rose, etc.
2. Elaborate sculpturing, using food that’s not even part of the recipe to arrange food to perform all kind of gymnastics.
3. Using food’s nature color and shape and arrange them simply in a logical visual composition.

I am more of the third category. It get very easy and quick once you realize how effective it is to enhance the eating experience.

Posted by spacific “Ok, don't laugh,... but from a pure design standpoint, the red cabbage leaves keep jumping out at me... maybe it's a clash of colors with the red pomegranate sauce, maybe the thought of raw cabbage clashes with what I'm "tasting" when I look at it, but, how about a green leaf... slightly blanched red swiss chard perhaps? Always a pleasure to see your photo/subject line combos. Ann”

Thanks. Thanks for the compliment and most of all thank you for you observations. You have a very good sense of design. Just to clarify one thing, those are radicchio leaves, not cabbage. You are correct, cabbage would be a bad idea.
The elegant bitter taste of radicchio accentuates the tart/sweetness of the pomegranate sauce; also it echoes a salad in which it is also an ingredient. The purpose of the leaves is more than decorative. Since the roasted quail is a finger food, I was thinking of having the wild rice wrapped in the radicchio leaves to be enjoyed with your fingers.
I agree with you also the white bright background makes the plating kind of glary. It would probably look better with a less contrasting composition.

Posted by therustyone “A very attractive, unusual, and festive presentation, as usual, dcarch. But I kind of thought the leaves were Raddichio, rather than cabbage.
But what do I know. I've never prepared Quail, either.
I find the simple (appearing) preparation and outstanding presentation very appealing and festive. And very special. What do you have in the wild rice? Thanks for sharing! Rusty “

Thanks. As I said, those are radicchio leaves. Very good. You should try quails, they are not gamy and very flavorful. Only if you like dark meat though.
I like the wild rice flavor, my preference is not to season it too much. For this dish, the rice is cooked with chestnuts in chicken stock, no water, just salt and pepper, and a little light olive oil.

Posted by bbstx “I have made this recipe many times. I always get compliments on the dish. Quail in Wine ------ They go nicely with gruyere grits. “

Thanks for the recipes. More ideas for me to try out!

dcarch

Of course... radicchio... much better taste combo (and usefulness). So if you made a puree from pomegranates and dried cranberries soaked in port perhaps, the puree would be a tad more toward the violet/red of the radicchio and you could still use the pomegranate seeds (since they're such little jewels) and all is well colorwise. I love the flavors of herbs de provence as an addition. Bacon is great, but it's such a dominant flavor, is that what you want? Wild rice and quail are such treats for me, I like their flavors to shine.

And last, but not least, I never mentioned the glaring white plate, but I was thinking it. How did you know? More of a winter white/cream colored plate?

You don't have to be specific about the bird variety... couldn't you call quail, les petit oiseux as well?

Dcarch:
I second what some said. !!!

If you thought you messed up, send them to me and I'll test them for you.
I'll sacrifice myself once again !!!
LOU

I have made this several times. It's from and Austin restaurant Hudson's on the Bend

Here is a link that might be useful: Quail salad