Cailles aux RaisinsQuail with Grapes

Blanch, peel and seed the white grapes

• 1 Bring 1 L water to the boil and prepare a separate bowl of ice water.
• 2 Remove 300 g white grapes from their stems, immerse in boiling water for just 10–15 seconds, then immediately transfer to ice water.
• 3 Once cool, peel by pinching the skins with your fingertips and a small paring knife (monder means blanching, peeling and seeding in this preparation).
• 4 Halve the peeled grapes lengthwise, remove every seed with the tip of a knife and refrigerate in a bowl.

Fill the quail with thyme and wrap in fatback

• 1 Thoroughly dry the surfaces and cavities of 4 quail with paper.
• 2 Break each of 2 thyme sprigs in half and put 1/2 sprig inside each quail.
• 3 Of the 5 g salt, distribute 3 g evenly over the surfaces and inside the cavities of the 4 birds.
• 4 Cover each quail breast with 1 thin sheet of pork fatback, then tie with kitchen string around the breast and thighs, securing the legs against the body (barding means covering and tying with fat).

Brown and cook the quail

• 1 Meanwhile(While the quail cook) heat the oven to 80°C and very finely chop 60 g shallots.
• 2 Put 10 ml grapeseed oil and 15 g butter in a heavy pot large enough to hold 4 quail without overlapping; heat over medium heat until the bubbles become fine.
• 3 Arrange the quail back-side down and brown for about 8 minutes in total, turning every 2 minutes to color all sides evenly golden.
• 4 Add 1 bay leaf, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, changing their position every 2 minutes.
• 5 Remove the string and fatback and brown the breast surfaces for 1–2 minutes. Use a clean thermometer to verify that the centers of both breast and thigh reach at least 75°C for at least 1 minute.
• 6 Transfer to a tray fitted with a rack, loosely cover with foil and keep warm in an 80°C oven until the sauce is ready.

Sauté the shallots and deglaze with marc and wine

• 1 Meanwhile(While reducing) cut the remaining 30 g of the 70 g butter into 1 cm cubes and refrigerate.
• 2 Leave only 1 tbsp fat in the quail pot and discard the excess.
• 3 Add 60 g chopped shallots and sauté over medium-low heat for 2 minutes.
• 4 Turn off the heat, pour in 30 ml Marc de Bourgogne and scrape the browned juices from the base with a wooden spoon to deglaze (dissolve the browned flavor from the pot with liquid).
• 5 Return to medium heat and boil for 30–40 seconds to drive off the smell of alcohol.
• 6 Pour in 100 ml dry white wine and reduce over medium heat for 3–4 minutes to half its volume.

Reduce and butter-finish the sauce, then warm the grapes

• 1 Meanwhile(While reducing the stock) remove the crusts from 2 slices of bread and fry both sides in 15 g butter. Warm 2 serving plates.
• 2 Cut 30 g sauce-finishing butter into 1 cm cubes and refrigerate.
• 3 Add 250 ml chicken stock to the pot and reduce over medium heat for 7–8 minutes to about 1/3 of its volume (around 80 ml).
• 4 Remove the bay leaf and strain the sauce through a chinois (a fine-mesh strainer) into a small saucepan, gently pressing the shallots with a spatula to extract the juice.
• 5 Add 60 ml cream and reduce over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon.
• 6 Stir in the meat juices that have collected in the resting quail tray.
• 7 Reduce the heat to low and add the chilled 30 g butter 2–3 cubes at a time, swirling the pan to melt and emulsify it (monter au beurre means binding a sauce with cold butter).
• 8 Season with 2 g salt and 0.5 g black pepper.
• 9 Add the peeled and seeded grapes and warm over low heat for 1 minute, shaking the pan to coat them all.

Set the quail on croutons and finish with grape sauce

• 1 Place 1 crouton in the center of each warmed plate.
• 2 Set 2 quail per plate, breast-side up, on the crouton.
• 3 Spoon the sauce and grapes over the quail so it soaks into the crouton.
• 4 Grind over 0.5 g black pepper and garnish with 4 chervil sprigs, 2 per plate.