Cailles à la Turque

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 12-inch (30 cm) sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid
• •Small rimmed roasting pan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine
• •Large warmed oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the aubergine

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Prick the aubergine in several places, set it on a small rimmed pan, and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, turning once, until the skin wrinkles and the flesh gives completely under a spoon. Split it, scoop out the pulp, and let any loose liquid drain for 5 minutes. Chop the pulp and measure ½ cup (120 ml / 130 g). That is one-quarter of the expected weight of this cooked pilaff, the proportion specified for Cailles à la Turque; keep any extra aubergine for another meal.

2. 2

   Truss and brown

   Cross each quail's legs and tie them snugly with kitchen twine, then tuck the wings close to the body. Season the birds with ¾ teaspoon of the salt and half the pepper. Melt 2½ tablespoons of the butter in a heavy 12-inch (30 cm) lidded sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the reserved wing tips and quails, breast-side down, and brown the birds on the breasts, backs, and both sides, about 8 to 10 minutes altogether. Turn them only when the skin releases readily. They must be an even, confident bronze before they leave the pan, because the rice will finish their cooking but cannot colour them.

   If the butter develops black specks before the quails are bronze, lower the heat and lift out the loose burnt solids, leaving the copper-coloured fond behind. Add a little of the reserved butter and continue. Ça se rattrape.
3. 3

   Draw the fumet

   Transfer the browned quails to a plate, leaving the wing tips in the pan. Pour in ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) of the hot stock and scrape every browned deposit from the pan floor. Simmer briskly for 8 to 10 minutes, pressing the wing tips against the pan, until the liquid has reduced to about ½ cup (120 ml). Strain this quick quail fumet into a heatproof cup and reserve it. The light stock is only the carrier; the roasted quail trimmings, butter, and fond give the fumet its character.

4. 4

   Start the pilaff

   Return the pan to medium-low heat and melt the remaining 1½ tablespoons of butter. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes without colouring, until soft and translucent. Add the rice and nacrer it, coating every grain in butter until the outside looks pearly and the grains sound faintly dry against the pan. Pour in 1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g) of the hot stock, add the remaining salt and pepper, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes without lifting the lid.

5. 5

   Finish birds in rice

   Uncover the pan and gently fold the measured chopped aubergine through the half-cooked pilaff without crushing the grains. Nestle the browned quails breast-side up in the rice, pushing them about halfway into it. Cover again and cook over the lowest heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until the rice is tender and the quails register 165°F (74°C) at the inner thigh. If the rice dries before the birds are done, pour the reserved stock down the side of the pan 2 tablespoons at a time and lower the heat. If the birds finish first, lift them out, cover loosely, and give the rice another few minutes. Both failures can be rescued; hard stirring cannot.

6. 6

   Build the pyramid

   Take the pan off the heat and rest it, covered, for 5 minutes. Lift out the quails and remove their twine. Fluff the pilaff carefully with a fork, keeping the aubergine distributed through it, then mound the rice into a low pyramid at the centre of a warmed oval platter. Stand the four quails upright against the rice, breasts facing outward and legs uppermost. The mound supports the birds, so no skewers or elaborate mould are needed.

7. 7

   Thread the fumet

   Pour the reserved quail fumet into the emptied pan and boil for 2 to 4 minutes, until reduced to about ⅓ cup (80 ml) and glossy enough to lightly coat a spoon. Taste before adding salt. If it becomes sticky, loosen it with a spoonful of hot water. Spoon the fumet in a narrow, continuous thread around the foot of the rice pyramid, with a little touching each quail, and serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy quails of an even size, fully boned-in and with their skin intact. Semi-boneless birds collapse against the rice, while uneven birds finish at different moments. Ask for necks if the butcher has them and add them to the wing tips for a deeper fumet.
• •Use plain long-grain rice, not risotto rice and not strongly aromatic rice. Cailles à la Turque needs grains that remain separate after they absorb the butter, quail juices, and aubergine.
• •Keep the aubergine at one-quarter the weight of the cooked pilaff. More sounds generous but turns the rice heavy and damp; the pulp should season the grains, not bury them.
• •Serve with a light red Burgundy or a supple Beaujolais, cool enough to refresh the butter and game without overwhelming the small birds.
• •Refrigerate leftover quail and rice within 2 hours. Keep for up to 2 days, then reheat covered with a spoonful of stock until the birds and rice reach 165°F (74°C).

Advance Preparation

• •The aubergine can be roasted, drained, chopped, and weighed a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate it, then let it lose its chill while the quails brown.
• •The quails can be clipped, trussed, and seasoned up to 4 hours ahead. Refrigerate them uncovered so the skin stays dry, which gives better browning.
• •Measure the rice, onion, butter, and stock before cooking. Once the quails meet the pan, the stages follow quickly and the finished platter should not wait.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)