Crispy Quail Breast with Purple Rice Grits, Shiitake Bourbon Jus, Bacon Jam
Recipe courtesy of Will Bystrzycki, Executive Chef, Wildcat Cliffs (Highland, N.C.)
Ingredients
- Ingredients for quail:
- hot sauce - 1/2 cup
- water - 1/4 cup
- boneless quail breasts - 6 ea., single lobe
- chicken breader - 1 ea.
- Ingredients for rice grits:
- Congaree and Penn purple rice grits - 1/4 cup
- water - 1/2 cup
- heavy cream - 1/2 cup
- chicken stock - 1/2 cup
- sea salt - 1/2 tsp.
- European butter - 1 Tbsp.
- gorgonzola - 1/2 oz.
- jalapeño pimiento cheese - 1 Tbsp.
- Ingredients for jus:
- neutral oil - 2 Tbsps.
- shiitake mushrooms - 3 1/2 ozs., stemmed, halved, sliced
- garlic - 2 cloves, peeled, tipped, halved, sliced
- bourbon - 1/2 cup
- bay leaves - 2 ea.
- thyme - 3 sprigs
- veal glace - 1 cup
- European butter - 2 Tbsps.
- salt - to taste
- sherry vinegar - to taste
- Ingredients to plate:
- hot pepper bacon jam - as needed
Instructions
Procedure for quail:
- In a small bowl, whisk together hot sauce and water.
- Add quail breasts and allow to soak for 8 hours.
- Remove the quail from the hot sauce and place directly into chicken breader.
- Thoroughly dredge and shake off excess breader.
- Allow the quail to sit for 3 minutes.
- Deep-fry the quail at 350°F for 4 minutes until just cooked through.
- Remove from the fryer and let rest on a wire rack for 2 minutes.
Procedure for rice grits:
- In a small saucepan, combine grits, water, heavy cream, chicken stock, salt and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Reduce the heat to low to maintain a bare simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the desired consistency is reached.
- Remove from heat, fold in gorgonzola and pimiento cheeses, and adjust seasoning with salt if needed. Keep warm.
Procedure for jus:
- Heat 2 Tbsps. of neutral oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Add shiitake mushrooms and a pinch of salt.
- Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until all moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown.
- Add garlic and continue to cook until the garlic is fragrant and lightly toasted.
- Add bourbon, bay leave and thyme sprigs; reduce by half.
- Add veal glace and reduce by a third.
- Remove from heat and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
- Mount with butter. Season to taste with salt and sherry vinegar. Keep warm.
To plate:
- Spoon 1/3 cup of grits into the center of a coupe bowl.
- Place ½ teaspoon of bacon jam on top of each quail breast.
- Stack 3 quail breasts in the center of the grits.
- Surround the grits with mushroom jus and garnish with herbs of your choice.
