This recipe is for a dish called Quails on Mushrooms. It is a French dish that is made with quails that are cooked in a white wine sauce and served over mushrooms.
To make the duxelles, first chop the 6 oz mushrooms plus the stalks fromthe big flat mushrooms on which you will sit the quails.
Chop finely,using a knife, not a food processor.
Mix in 1 very finely chopped garlicclove, about 9 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 3 tablespoons snippedchives and 1 heaped tablespoon fresh tarragon (or a generous 1 1/2 teaspoondried tarragon if fresh is not available).
Cook the mixture in a littlebutter over moderate heat for 3 minutes or so, stirring often.
Season wellwith salt, pepper and about 2 teaspoons lemon juice.
Let the duxelles cool before using it to stuff the birds.
Spread it gentlybetween the flesh and the skin, all over the breast area, to plump up thequails prettily.
Secure the flap of neck skin under each bird with awooden toothpick.
If the skin is torn, put the stuffing into the bodycavities instead.
Tie up the legs of each bird to keep it neatly shaped.
Make about 5 oz garlic butter and reserve it.
Choose a roasting tin orbaking dish just large enough to take the 6 flat mushrooms side by side.
When ready to cook, melt a nugget of the garlic butter in the roasting tin.
Turn the birds in it to coat them with fat, then arrange them, breast down,on a rack suspended across the roasting tin.
Bake at 425 F (220 C) gasmark 7 for 15 minutes.
Put the mushrooms in the tin, arranging them gill side up, and dot themwith the rest of the garlic butter.
Put the rack of quails back on top ofthe tin and turn the birds breast side up.
Position the birds carefully,placing each one above a mushroom so that the meat juices will drip on tothe mushrooms during cooking.
Bake for 20 minutes or so until the birdsand mushrooms are perfectly cooked.
Sit the birds on the mushrooms and serve straight away, or cover and keephot at 250 F (120 C) gas mark 1/2 until ready to serve.
Rice, couscous orburghul, and crisp peppery watercress go well with this dish.
Source: Philippa Davenport in Country Living (British), September 1988.
Typed for you by Karen Mintzias .