Cailles glacées Cerisette

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 4-quart (3.8 L) saucepan with lid
• •Parchment paper for a cartouche
• •4 small oval molds, about 1½ cups (350 ml) each
• •Fine-mesh sieve and damp muslin
• •Fat separator
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Shallow metal bowl for rapid chilling
• •Large chilled platter and shallow tray for crushed ice

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the cold work

   Make certain the cherry-juice Granité from Granités (No. 2930) is fully frozen before beginning. Chill four small oval molds and the serving platter. Pat the quails dry, tuck the wing tips underneath, and tie the legs neatly together so each bird holds a compact oval shape inside its mold. Season them with half the salt and the white pepper, then keep them cold while the poaching liquor heats.

   Set an empty quail inside one mold before cooking. It should fit closely without being crushed, with enough room around it for a clear jacket of gelée.
2. 2

   Poach the quails

   Combine the veal stock and Champagne in a snug, heavy saucepan and bring them to a bare simmer. Lower in the quails breast-side down and cover them with a parchment cartouche. Hold the liquor at a faint tremble, about 180 to 185°F (82 to 85°C), for 12 minutes, turning the birds halfway if the liquor does not cover them completely. A hard boil toughens the breasts and clouds the liquor. Check the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone; it must reach 165°F (74°C). If it has not, continue in one-minute intervals. Lift each quail directly into its chilled mold, breast-side down, and refrigerate promptly.

3. 3

   Degrease the liquor

   Strain the cooking liquor through a fine sieve lined with damp muslin into a fat separator, then pour the lean liquor into a clean saucepan, leaving the first layer of grease behind. Simmer until reduced to 4 cups (960 ml), tasting only after the reduction before adding the remaining salt. Transfer it to a shallow metal bowl, cool it rapidly over crushed ice, then refrigerate until any remaining fat turns opaque on the surface. Lift off every trace. If small beads remain, touch a clean sheet of paper towel flat against the surface and lift it away; repeat with fresh paper. This is the step that decides the shine, and there is no virtue in rushing it.

4. 4

   Test the gelée

   Warm the degreased liquor gently until it becomes fluid, without boiling. Spoon a tablespoon onto a chilled saucer and refrigerate it for 5 minutes. It should form a clear, tender gel that holds when the saucer is tilted. If it slides, ça se rattrape: bloom 4½ teaspoons (22 ml / 14 g) gelatin in 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 60 g) cold water for 5 minutes, then dissolve it completely in the warm liquor and test again. If the second test remains too soft for unmolding, bloom the final 2¼ teaspoons (11 ml / 7 g) gelatin in the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) water and add it. Do not boil after adding gelatin, since trapped bubbles and renewed grease make clear gelée difficult.

5. 5

   Mold the quails

   Pass the finished gelée through the clean fine sieve once more. Set its bowl over crushed ice and stir slowly until the liquid is cool and just beginning to feel syrupy. If it sets in the bowl, warm it gently until fluid again; nothing is lost. Pour the gelée slowly around each chilled quail until the mold is full, nudging the bird only enough to release hidden air pockets. Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes, then cover without touching the surface and chill for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight.

6. 6

   Poach the cherries

   Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 2 minutes, add the pitted cherries, and poach them gently for 2 to 3 minutes, just until glossy and tender while still holding their shape. Remove the pan from the heat and cool the cherries completely in their syrup. Chill them, then drain them thoroughly before plating so loose syrup cannot run beneath the molded quails.

7. 7

   Unmold the quails

   Nest the chilled serving platter in a shallow tray of crushed ice. Dip one mold in warm water for 5 seconds, wipe its outside dry, invert it onto the platter, and lift straight upward. Repeat with the remaining molds, arranging the four quails around an open center. If one clings, return the mold to warm water for 2 seconds rather than pulling at the gelée. If an edge softens, chill the platter for 10 minutes and it will firm again.

8. 8

   Build the Cerisette

   At the last moment, rake the fully frozen cherry-juice Granité from Granités (No. 2930) into light crystals and mound it in a compact pyramid at the center of the platter. Fill the gaps between the molded quails with small heaps of the cold, well-drained cherries. Carry the platter to the table over its bed of ice while the gelée remains bright and the Granité granular. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A true strong veal stock often gels without help. Most packaged stocks do not, which is why the cold-saucer test matters more than a fixed gelatin amount. Add only what the test demands; the finished gelée should be sliceable, not rubbery.
• •Choose quails of similar weight so all four finish poaching together. If your molds are broad rather than snug, make a little additional stock mixture before starting; exposed patches of bird spoil the clean molded shape.
• •Fresh cherries give the firmest garnish. Outside their season, use frozen pitted cherries picked ripe, but poach them for only 30 to 60 seconds after the syrup returns to a simmer or they will collapse.
• •Pour the same brut Champagne used for poaching. Its acidity cuts through the veal gelée and meets the cherry cleanly without making the plate taste sweeter.
• •For outdoor dining, keep the platter refrigerated until service and maintain it over crushed ice. Return any leftovers to the refrigerator within 2 hours.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare and freeze the cherry-juice Granité according to Granités (No. 2930) up to 2 days ahead, keeping it tightly covered once frozen.
• •Poach, mold, and chill the quails the day before serving. Leave them covered in their molds and unmold only when the serving platter and crushed ice are ready.
• •The syrup-poached cherries may be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated in their syrup. Drain them shortly before arranging the platter.
• •Assemble the complete platter no more than 10 minutes before service so the Granité keeps its loose crystals and the gelée remains sharply defined.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 550g)