Low Country Stuffed Quail With Oyster Leek Ragout And Hominy Grits Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash the quail and rub the inside of the cavities with salt and 1 teaspoon of orange zest.
• In a small pot bring the vegetable stock and the wild rice to a boil. Add the bay leaf and reduce the heat to a simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Heat a nonstick pan and spray with vegetable oil. Saute the onions until translucent, add celery, sage and apples saute for 2 minutes and transfer to mixing bowl. Add the egg white, remaining orange peel, walnuts, black pepper, cooked wild rice and parsley to the mixing bowl. Stuff the cavities of the quail with the wild rice stuffing and place into a nonstick pan with vegetable spray. Lightly season the quail with salt and cracked black pepper and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
• When the quail is done, remove from the pan and deglaze with a 1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable stock. If available add a 1/4 cup of brown stock to the mixture and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and ladle over quail. Garnish with blanched lemon peel.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt butter in large saute pan. Add quail and saute on both sides. Carefully add brandy and flame. Let flame die down and flip the quail in the brandy. Remove quail and place in a small oven-proof pan. Roast for 8 minutes, until internal temperature of quail is 150 degrees F. While the quail are roasting, add the drained dried cherries to the pan along with the cherry juice, sugar and thyme. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the arrowroot mixture and simmer until thickened. Arrowroot will produce a clearer sauce than cornstarch although both will work well. Return quail to the sauce mixture and simmer for 1 minute.

Steps:

• For the breadcrumbs: Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the anchovy paste and cook for 30 seconds. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in the breadcrumbs and cook until lightly golden brown. Stir in the green onions, parsley and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
• For the shrimp: Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the bacon and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 7 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels and reserve. Reserve the pan with the oil to cook the shrimp.
• Whisk together the rice flour and 1 1/4 cups water in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let rest for 5 minutes. Combine the cumin, ancho powder, chile de arbol, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Season the shrimp on both sides with the spice mixture.
• Return the pan with the bacon fat to the burner and heat over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Dip the shrimp in the batter and let the excess drip off. Saute the shrimp in batches until lightly golden brown and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• For the grits: Put the hominy in a food processor with 1 cup of the cream and pulse until coarsely chopped.
• Bring 2 cups of the shrimp stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, add the hominy mixture and stir to combine. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes, adding more stock if needed. Add the Monterey Jack, Cheddar and the remaining cup of cream and cook until incorporated, about 2 minutes; season with the cayenne, salt and pepper.
• Spoon the grits into bowls. Top each with 5 shrimp for an entree portion or 3 shrimp for an appetizer. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and garnish with the reserved bacon.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lay the oysters on a bed of sea or rock salt on a sheet/baking tray. In a saute pan, melt butter on high heat and saute leeks until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season. Deglaze with ponzu and reduce by 50 percent. Check again for seasoning. Remove from pan and let cool. Fill a small saucepan half way with water and bring to a boil. Place yolks in a small stainless bowl that will fit on top of the sauce pan (bain marie set up). Whisk the yolks and 1 teaspoon of ponzu over the hot water. Be careful not to overcook the yolks by removing the bowl periodically from the heat. Continue whisking until ribbons are formed in the yolks following the whisk. Season and check for flavor. Remove form heat and fold in the cooled leeks. Cool to room temperature. Top each oyster with the leek sabayon and place in oven and immediately switch the setting to broil. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until top is brown and bubbly.
• PLATING: Serve on a decorative plate lined with cold sea/rock salt.
• BEVERAGE Blanc de Blanc Champagne
• In small sauce pan, very lightly coat with oil and saute the shallots, kaffir and ginger until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Reduce by 30 percent then transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until cold. (It is recommended to do this a day ahead of time for deeper infusion.) Strain the mixture. In a food processor, add the salmon and cream and puree until very smooth. Season with black pepper only and check for seasoning. (Smoked salmon is usually very salty.) Transfer to a small bowl and fold in the zest, juice and chives. Transfer into medium ramekins and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 to 3 hours.
• PLATING: Serve the ramekins on plates surrounded by the pita chips. Garnish with chives.
• BEVERAGE Bright California chardonnay