Benedictine Roasted Stuffed Quails
This exquisite French recipe showcases deboned quails stuffed with a flavorful mixture of pork sausages, liver pate, sautéed apples, and a splash of Benedictine liquor. The quails are then roasted to perfection and served with a rich Benedictine cream sauce. Learn to debone quails easily, creating a tender, juicy dish that’s sure to impress at any dinner party.
Servings: 6
Calories: 570kcal
Ingredients
FOR THE QUAILS:
- 6 large quails, deboned
- 6 long slice bacon
- 12 wood toothpicks
- 1 ounce butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
FOR THE STUFFING:
- 1 small apple
- 0.5 ounce butter
- 2 large pork sausages, remove from casing
- 4 ounces liver pate, either chicken, duck or pork
- 1 large egg
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Benedictine liquor
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
FOR THE BENEDICTINE SAUCE:
- 0.25 cup Benedictine liquor
- 2 cups quail stock or chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- You may leave the quails whole, but it is nicer to debone them. We are going to remove the rib cage only as they will be easier to eat, you will need scissors and a sharp paring knife. Take out of the fridge only the quail that you are working with, the colder the quail, the easier it will be. You will reserve all bones for stock if you are making one. Are you ready?
- Debone the quails: Place whole quail breast side down on a chopping board. Using the scissors cut wings off and cut along right side of the backbone, going through the right side of the neck. Do a second cut along the left side of the spine going through the left side of the neck. Detach backbone and neck.
- Make a small cut through each wing joint. Hold the quail breast side still down, and pass the knife through the join, the blade sticking to the rib cage and gently debone the rib cage and wing tips on both sides. Pull or scrape breast meat away from bones, and holding the quail with one hand pull gently to separate the rib cage from the skin. Leave legs intact and keep quails refrigerated. Repeat the process for each quail. Wash the scissors, knife and cutting board immediately.
- Prepare the stuffing: Peel, core and cut the apple into six quarters. Melt butter in a pan and sauté the apple on high heat for one minute or until golden brown. Reserve the quarters out of the pan.
- In the bowl of a food processor, place sausages without the casing, liver pate, egg, salt, pepper, cream, Benedictine liquor, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. Process until smooth and well blended. Reserve.
- Stuff the quails: On a clean cutting board, place a debone quail, skin side down. On the left breast, put a quarter of sauté apple between two tablespoons of stuffing. Fold right side of the quail over, to reconstitute the bird. Roll around 1 long slice of bacon, secure with toothpicks, reserve into refrigerator and carry on to the next one.
- Roast the quails: Preheat oven to 450° F. In a large sauté pan, heat butter and oil on medium heat. Sear the quails until brown, and place 25 minutes in a hot oven. When cooked, turn down the oven temperature to 250° F. Remove toothpicks, place onto platter and reserve into the oven.
- Make the sauce: Discard all fat, and heat the pan. Out of the heat, deglaze with Benedictine and stock, scrape the bottom to dissolve flavors. Reduce the sauce by half on medium heat and add cream. Reduce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste and rectify seasoning if necessary, strain and pour sauce over the quails, before serving.
Cooking Tips for Benedictine Roasted Stuffed Quails
- Deboning the Quails: For easier preparation, use sharp scissors and a paring knife to carefully debone the quail, leaving the legs intact. Cold quail makes deboning much easier.
- Sauté the Apple: Sauté the apple quarters until golden brown before adding them to the stuffing to bring out their natural sweetness and enhance the flavor.
- Use High-Quality Sausage: The flavor of the sausages plays a crucial role in the stuffing. Opt for good-quality sausages for the best taste and texture in the stuffing.
- Searing Before Roasting: Be sure to sear the quails in butter and oil before roasting to achieve a beautifully crispy skin and a rich, golden color.
- Let the Quails Rest: After removing them from the oven, let the quails rest in the oven at a low temperature. This keeps them warm and allows the juices to settle.
- Strain the Sauce: Strain the Benedictine sauce before serving to ensure a smooth, velvety texture that complements the quail perfectly.
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