photo by Antoinette Bruno

Yield: 10 Servings

Ingredients:

Quail:
• 20 quail breasts, trimmed
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  
  Sauce:
• 10 quail carcasses
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cups pinot noir
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 ounces fresh huckleberries
• Salt and pepper, to taste
  
  Mushrooms:
• 6 ounces Trumpet Royale mushrooms, quartered
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• ½ cup mushroom stock
  
  Purple Potatoes:
• 2 small purple potatoes
  
  To Garnish:
• 10 Tablespoon mashed potatoes
• Micro kale
• 10 pickled kumquats
  

Method:
For the Quail:
Season the quails breasts and sear skin-side down in a hot pan with vegetable oil for about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for a further 30 seconds until medium.

For the Sauce:
Roast the bones and the mirepoix, reserving 1/3 of the bones for refreshing. Reduce the wine by half and reserve. Cover 2/3 of the bones with chicken stock, reduced wine, and caramelized mirepoix. Simmer for an hour and strain. Add the remaining third of roasted bones, garlic, and thyme. Simmer for another 20 minutes and strain through a chinois. Add the huckleberries and season.

For the Mushrooms:
Sear the mushrooms in a hot pan with the olive oil until golden brown. Add the salt, pepper and crushed garlic and deglaze with vinegar. Reduce to a syrup consistency then add the butter and mushroom stock. Simmer gently until the liquid is reduced to sauce consistency.

For the Purple Potatoes:
Peel the potatoes and slice very finely using a mandolin. Rinse the slices in cold water and dry well. Fry in 300°F vegetable oil until crispy but without coloring the chips. Drain oil, season with salt and dry on paper towels.

To Serve:
Spoon mashed potatoes on each plate and place a spoon of mushrooms and a quail breast on top. Drizzle with sauce and garnish with pickled kumquats and kale.

Champagne Pairing:
Bollinger “Grande Année” 1997

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