On a recent Sunday morning I had a bit of spare time, so I chose to do one of the things I love to do best; sit down and be entertained by James Chatto on Gold Medal Plates 2008. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but there is something so soothing about listening to that man talk that it practically lulls me to sleep.
Whilst watching, a glaze on one of the competitor’s dishes (I think it was Patrick Lin’s) inspired me to prepare a few quails I had lying around the house for dinner. I had a bunch of new spices I wanted to test out, so I started brainstorming how I would likely blend them together.
We love quails here at Foodie and the Everyman, but I find there’s such a dichotomy surrounding them. On the one hand, they’re quite delicate and twee because they are such tiny little birds, but on the other there’s something rather primal and brutish about ripping apart a whole bird to consume all by oneself. Either way, they make an absolutely delectable meal, and in some ways can be considered game “lite” because their flavour is exceptionally mild and not nearly as intense as horse or moose or venison by comparison.
Once I sat down and pondered for a few minutes, the flavour profile I wanted to create became relatively clear.
I began with the base that had sung to me on the show, a mixture of honey and lavender thinned to a glaze-like consistency. To smooth it out I added a little melted butter, then a handful of crushed long peppers, and finally a splash of leftover juice from a finished bottle of pickled balsamic onions. Swirling it all together, the fragrance leapt up and smacked me in the palate; always a good sign. Dipping a finger, I found it was just right. The quails were brushed liberally with the liquid, then left to marinate in the fridge for a few hours.
