Mauviettes Froides

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 4-quart (3.8 L) saucepan with lid
• •Four 2½-cup (600 ml) oval molds or shallow bowls
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve and cheesecloth
• •Deep basin or roasting pan for the ice bath
• •Parchment paper for a cartouche

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the birds

   Pat the quail dry. Season them inside and out with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the white pepper, fold the wing tips underneath, and tie the legs together loosely so the birds keep their shape without becoming tight little fists. Keep them cold while you build the poaching liquor.

   Choose birds of similar size so they finish together. Whole quail gives the classical silhouette, but semi-boneless farmed quail is easier to eat and may be handled exactly the same way.
2. 2

   Build the poaching liquor

   Combine the chicken stock, chopped carrot, leek, celery, shallot, bouquet garni, peppercorns, and remaining teaspoon of salt in a saucepan wide enough to hold the birds snugly. Bring it to a bare simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add the 12 carrot diamonds for the final 3 minutes, then lift them out carefully and chill them; they must remain neat enough for the Belle-vue decoration.

3. 3

   Poach and cool

   Lower the quail into the liquor and cover them with a parchment cartouche so they remain submerged. Hold the liquid between 175 and 185°F (80 and 85°C), with only an occasional lazy bubble, and begin checking after 12 minutes. Continue until the thickest part of each thigh reaches 165°F (74°C), lifting out smaller birds as they finish. Return every bird to the liquor, remove the pan from the heat, and set it in a deep ice bath. Cool the quail in their liquor, stirring the liquid gently around them and replenishing the ice as needed; this keeps the breasts succulent and carries the seasoning through the meat. Once the liquor falls below 70°F (21°C), cover and refrigerate until the birds are completely cold, about 2 hours.

   A hard boil tightens the breast meat and throws fat into the stock. Lower the heat immediately if the surface becomes lively.
4. 4

   Clarify the liquor

   Lift out the cold quail, remove the string, pat them dry, and keep them covered in the refrigerator. Strain the liquor, discard the aromatics, skim away every trace of hardened fat, and boil it down to 5 cups (1.2 L / about 1.2 kg). Cool it until fluid but no warmer than room temperature. Whisk in 2 egg whites, set the pan over medium-low heat, and stir slowly until the whites gather into a raft on the surface. Stop stirring, open a small vent in the raft, and hold the liquor at the barest simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle it through a damp cheesecloth-lined sieve without pressing the raft. Measure 4 cups (950 ml / about 950 g) for the aspic and reserve any extra for adjustment. If a hard boil breaks the raft and the liquor remains cloudy, strain it, cool it, whisk in the additional egg white, and repeat. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Set the aspic

   Sprinkle the 21 g of gelatin over the 7 tablespoons of cold water and leave it for 10 minutes. Warm 1 cup (240 ml) of the clarified liquor, remove it from the heat, and stir in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved. Combine it with the remaining measured liquor, Madeira, and lemon juice. Taste it cool: it should seem slightly brighter and more seasoned than a warm sauce because the cold will soften both. Chill a spoonful on a cold saucer for 10 minutes. The aspic must yield to a spoon but hold a clean edge. If the test slumps, bloom the optional teaspoon of gelatin in the additional tablespoon of water, dissolve it in a little warm aspic, and stir it back through. If the test is rubbery, melt the mixture gently and loosen it with reserved clarified liquor. Never boil aspic after adding gelatin.

6. 6

   Set the first layer

   Rinse four 2½-cup (600 ml) oval molds or shallow bowls with cold water and shake them dry. Set them level on a tray. Pour a thin layer of liquid aspic into each and refrigerate until completely set, 10 to 15 minutes. Arrange 3 tarragon leaves and 3 carrot diamonds face down on each layer, remembering that the bottom becomes the top. Seal the decoration with another spoonful of aspic and chill again. Pouring onto a soft layer makes the decoration drift and the jelly turn ragged, so test it with a fingertip before proceeding.

7. 7

   Anchor the quail

   Place 2 cold quail breast-side down in each mold. Spoon in enough cool, still-liquid aspic to come one-third of the way up the birds, then refrigerate for about 20 minutes, until the quail are anchored. Fill the molds with the remaining aspic and chill again. If a bird floats or rolls, stop pouring and let the shallow layer set before nudging it back into place. If the aspic begins setting in the saucepan, stand the pan briefly in warm water and stir until fluid; gentle warmth restores it.

8. 8

   Chill and unmold

   Cover the molds once their surfaces are firm and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. To unmold, dip each mold in warm water for 3 to 5 seconds, wipe it dry, place a chilled plate on top, and invert with confidence. If it clings, wrap the mold briefly in a warm towel rather than submerging it longer. Refrigerate for 10 minutes if the surface softens. Serve cold with cornichons, and tell the table plainly that whole quail still contain small bones. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Do not substitute an unregulated wild songbird. Farmed quail is the honest modern equivalent: it has the right small scale and delicate flesh, though less game flavor, and it can be sourced without turning the dinner table into a legal argument.
• •Use unsalted stock with a clean poultry flavor. Gelatin supplies the dependable set, so the stock needn't become stiff in the refrigerator, but it must taste good enough to eat cold and clear enough to show the birds.
• •Clarification depends on restraint. Once the egg-white raft forms, stop stirring and never press it through the cloth; pressure forces the trapped particles straight back into the liquor.
• •Aspic should tremble and cut with a spoon. A firm rubber shell belongs around a parcel, not a quail. Always make the saucer test before filling the molds.
• •Whole quail make the finest display but retain small bones. Semi-boneless quail are kinder at a dinner party and keep enough structure to mold if the legs are tied loosely.
• •Serve with cornichons and a firm dry white wine or dry Champagne. The acidity wakes the cold poultry and Madeira without adding another sauce to a dish already complete.

Advance Preparation

• •The quail may be poached and the liquor clarified up to 24 hours before molding. Keep the birds and clarified liquor separately covered below 40°F (4°C).
• •Complete the molds the day before serving. The longer uninterrupted chill gives cleaner edges and makes unmolding calmer.
• •Keep the finished molds refrigerated and serve within 48 hours. Do not freeze them, since freezing breaks the aspic and leaves it weeping after thawing.
• •Unmold only when the plates, room, and rest of the meal are ready. The aspic holds best when it spends as little time as possible away from the cold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)