charteuse quail

Chartreuse of Quail - 3/03/12

Chartreuse of quail is a fancy dish from Tony Bourdain the famous American chef, author and television personality.

Chartreuse is the name of a French liqueur called Chartreuse which come in green and yellow. I assume this dish was called chartreuse because of the color of the cabbage leaves which resemble the color of the Chartreuse liqueur.

This dish has 3 main ingredients: quail, foie gras, and cabbage that are cooked separately and then assembled in ramekins. They are baked in the oven and are un-molded to a very impressive presentation. This dish is packed with flavors and is simply delicious.

The dish look very fancy but it is actually fairly easy to make. There are many steps but if you follow the instructions you should have a successful dish which will definitely impress your guests!

This dish looks like it could be served in a three star restaurant.

Not only does it look very nice, but the dish is packed with flavors and is so delicious!

Close look at the dish.

I cut it in half so you can see the inside of the dish.

Once the dish is cooked, the foie gras has melted and create an amazing flavor combined with the sautéed cabbage, bacon, carrots and onions.

Preparation work..

For the chartreuse

8 quails, breast bones out, and separated

8 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons of melted butter

4 cabbage leaves

1 cup shredded cabbage

2 strips of bacon

1 carrot finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped

4 slice of foie gras

4 piece of white bread, crust removed

For the sauce

1 carrot coarsely chopped

1 onion coarsely chopped

2 cups of chicken broth

2 cups of water

1 celery branch

1/2 cup red wine

3 sprigs of parsley

1 sprig of thyme

1 bay leave.

1 tablespoons black peppercorn

Use the quail carcasses for the sauce

Remove the breasts, and drumsticks. Season with salt and pepper.

Don't throw the bones away. You will use it for the sauce.

In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter until it foams and subsides, then add the drumsticks. Cook undisturbed over medium neat for 3-4 minutes then turn the drumsticks over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

Do the same for the breasts, cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Skin side down on the pan.

Turn over the breasts but barely cook it and set aside.

Slice the bacon into cubes and put them in a pan.

Note: I am cooking a lot of bacon here but it is for multiple purpose. You will only need to cook 2 slabs.

Keep stirring until the fat is rendered and the bacon crispy. Remove the bacon and put them on a piece of paper to absorb all the fat. Set aside.

In a large pan add the finely chopped onions, finely chopped carrots, and bacon.

Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat or until the vegetables are browned

Add the shredded cabbage and cook over low hear for about 30 minutes (I know it is a long time) but you want all the flavors to come out.

Season with salt and pepper and set aside. This is the filling for the Chartreuse.

In a large pot put the bones in a large sauté pan.

Keep cooking until the meat is brown.

In a separate pan sauté the coarse carrots, coarse onion, chopped celery, parsley sprig, sprig of thyme and bay leave.

Once the vegetable are soft add the wine and let it simmer...

until all the wine has evaporate.

Add the bones, and add 2 cups of chicken broth and 2 cup of water.

Let is simmer for a few hours until it is reduced by half

Put through a fine strainer and throw the bones and vegetables away.

In a clean bowl put 2 tablespoons of butter (soft) and add 2 tablespoons of flour.

Mix it well together. This is called beurre manie to thicken the sauce.

Bring the reduced sauce to a boil and add the beurre manié to thicken it. Add the beurre manié slowly until when it has reached the desired thickness then stop.

Add two tablespoons of butter and bring it to a simmer. Turn off the heat and re-heat when ready to use.

Fill a large pot with water, bring it to a boil. Add about 2 tablespoons of salt and then add the cabbage leaves. Cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from water and set aside.

Slice the foie gras an set aside.

Butter 4 ramekins with 1 tablespoon of the whole butter. Line each ramekin with 1 precooked cabbage leaf. The cabbage leaf should extend beyond the ramekin.

fill the each ramekin with a few spoons of the bacon-cabbage mixture. Then add 1 slice of foie gras on top.