Bayona Crispy Smoked Quail Salad
Ingredients
- Marinade
- Honey - 1 tablespoon
- Sweet Soy - 1 teaspoon (Indonesian Kekap Manis)
- Peanut Oil - 1/2 cup
- Bourbon - 1 tablespoon
- Quail - 1, deboned
- Dressing
- Quail Bones - 1 lb (alt. chicken bones)
- Chicken Stock - 2 cups
- Molasses - 2 tablespoons
- Cider Vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- Walnut Vinegar - 1 oz (2 tablespoons)
- Shallots - 1⁄4 cup, peeled and minced
- Olive Oil - 1 cup
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Bourbon - 1 to 2 tablespoons
- Spiced Pecans
- Butter - 1 tablespoon
- Pecans - 1/2 cup
- Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce - 1 teaspooon
- Salt - 1⁄2 teaspoon
- Cayenne Pepper - Dash
- Sugar - 1 tablespoon
- Rice Flour Batter
- Rice Flour - 1 cup
- Water - 3⁄4 cup
- Salt - 1⁄4 teaspoon
- Pepper - Pinch
- Vegetable Oil - 4 cups, for deep-frying
- Salad
- Spinach - 1⁄2 lb, fresh, trimmed, rinsed, and dried
- Pear - 1, ripe
- Red Onion - 1⁄4 cup, pickled
- Celery - 1⁄2 cup, hearts and leaves
Instructions
To make the marinade: In a small bowl whisk together the honey, sweet soy, peanut oil, and bourbon. Add the quail to the marinade ingredients and let the flavors combine for at least 1 hour. Drain the quail before proceeding to cold smoke.
To smoke the quail: Prepare a cold smoker by placing the quail on a wire rack over a baking pan filled with ice cubes. Place this in the smoker (see Note below) and smoke at 75 F for about 30 minutes. The quail should still be mostly raw.
To make the dressing: Preheat the oven to 450 F. Place the bones in a shallow roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes or until browned. Bring the chicken stock to a boil over high heat, add the bones to the stock, and reduce the heat to medium. When the stock comes back to a boil, skim frequently until the scum stops rising, and simmer uncovered until reduced to 1⁄2 cup of syrupy liquid. Remove the pan from the heat, and strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl. Discard the solids. Whisk in the molasses, vinegars, and shallots. Add the oil in a thin stream, whisking continually. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in the bourbon.
To make the spiced pecans: Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium-low heat. Pour the butter into a small bowl and toss with the pecans, Worcestershire, salt, cayenne pepper, and sugar. Spread the pecans out on a small baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use.
To fry the quail: In a shallow bowl whisk together the rice flour, water, salt, and pepper. In a large saucepan heat the oil over medium-high heat to 375 F or until a bread cube turns brown in 10 seconds. Dip the quail in the batter, shake off any excess, and cook the quail 1 or 2 at a time, for 3 to 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the quail from the pan and drain on paper towels. Let the quail cool slightly, then cut into quarters.
To serve the salad: Toss the cleaned and dried spinach with the dressing and portion onto 4 plates. Core, peel, and cut the pear into 1⁄4-inch slices. Top each serving with a whole quartered quail, 1 tablespoon of red onion, one fourth of the celery hearts and leaves, 2 tablespoons of pecans, and one-fourth of the pear slices.
Note: If a commercially built smoker is not available, you may make a smoker by building a low fire in a kettle-type grill. Push the coals to the side, add a pan of soaked wood chips, and set the quail with the rack and ice cubes on the grill. Cover and smoke for about 30 minutes. Or place soaked wood chips in the bottom of a heavy wok, then place a rack or perforated pan over the wood chips. Set the quail with the rack and ice cubes on top. Cover and set the wok over low heat.
