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

STUFFED BONELESS QUAIL WITH WILD RICE, SAGE AND APPLES

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.

CRISP GRIT CAKE FOIE GRAS CLUB

Steps:

• Grits: Bring milk to boil and stir in grits and add salt and pepper. Cook slowly until thick. Cool slightly and roll in a log and place in plastic wrap. Chill.
• Plum Sauce: Dissolve sugar in vinegar over heat. Pour over plums and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes
• Cut grits into 1/2inch cylinders. Toss in flour and fry in oil until crisp. Drain. Keep warm.
• Heat skillet with 2 tablespoons butter and saute foie gras on both sides. Remove and keep warm.
• Add chipoltes and plum mixture to saucepan. Whisk in veal or beef stock. Reduce and stir in remaining butter.
• To Assemble: Place one grit cake on a plate. Top with seared foie gras and then another grit cake. Pour plum sauce around and decorate with arugula and fried leeks

STUFFED QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Toast for 5 to 8 minutes, until crisp. Transfer to a large bowl.
• In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the butter until it's melted and foamy. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley, sage and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Add the toasted bread and toss to combine. If you need more liquid for the bread, add more chicken stock 1/4 cup at a time. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool to room temperature
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Once the stuffing is cool, wear kitchen rubber gloves to stuff the cavity of the quails with about 1 cup of stuffing per quail. Place the remaining stuffing on the bottom of a roasting pan or large cast-iron skillet. Season the quail with salt and pepper and rest on top of the stuffing. Roast the quail for 15 to 20 minutes or until juices run clear when you pierce the skin. Serve right away.

OYSTER-LEEK GRATINE WITH PONZU SABAYON KAFFIR LIME-SMOKED SALMON RILLETTE

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

BONELESS BARBECUE RIBLETS

Steps:

• Season the ribs with a mixture of chili powder, toasted cumin and beer. Wrap the ribs in foil and steam in a steamer for 1 hour or roast in a 250 degree F. oven in a pan with moisture for 2 hours until tender and moist.
• Coat the ribs with barbecue sauce then slow grill over low heat face down. Coat the backside of the ribs with barbecue sauce. Heat for 5 to 10 minutes to caramelize the outside of the ribs and heat them through. Remove the ribs from the grill and cut the meat away from the bone between the ribs.
• In a bowl whisk together the ketchup and steak sauce. Whisk in the beer, then the cayenne. Add the peanut butter a tablespoon at a time, whisking until the mixture is smooth. Add the chives and peppers and stir.
• Grits Cake with Barbecue Riblets: Cut the grits cake mixture into the desired shape using a cookie cutter. Dredge them in flour and reshape. Saute the cakes in an olive oil and butter mixture until crispy on both sides. Place 3 slices of the rib meat over the grits cake and drizzle with extra barbecue sauce.

HOMINY GRITS WITH SHRIMP TWO WAYS

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.

SOUTHERN STUFFED QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven broiler.
• In a bowl, mix the pork, parsley, carrots, celery, garlic, bread crumbs, and pepper.
• Arrange the quail in a baking dish. Separate the skin from the breast of each quail, and stuff with equal amounts of the stuffing mixture. Brush with bacon drippings.
• Broil the quail 7 minutes on each side in the preheated oven, or to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C).

HOMINY GRITS

Steps:

• Pour grits into boiling salted water and stir until it reaches the boiling point.
• Lower heat and simmer slowly for an hour, stirring frequently.
• When ready to serve, add butter and beat well for a few minutes.