We fired up the grill for the first time of the season the other day. Yes, I am embarrassed that we waited this long…but let’s not dwell on that! To commemorate the occasion, we decided to go a little less mainstream. By that, I mean we defrosted some quail we had in the freezer, spatchcocked it, and cooked it on Kebab skewers. Of course, the use of quail wasn’t quite bizarre enough…so we also made a Cherry Rhubarb Glaze (from rhubarb from my wife’s grandpa’s garden!) to adorn the little birds. It worked really well. If you’re feeling particularly frisky one day, give this a try!
We served our quail over couscous alongside a Balsamic Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad.
Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Quails. We find that 2 makes for a good serving.
- Salt
- Olive Oil
- For your Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Stalks of Rhubarb
- 6 oz Cherry Juice
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
Method:
- Slice your rhubarb into 1/2 inch strips. Melt some butter in a saucepan, and add your rhubarb. Sauté until your rhubarb disintegrates.
- As your rhubarb cooks, prep your quail:
- Spatchcock your Quails. (Given how thin the bones are, it’s much easier than with a chicken).
- Skewer your birds. Place one skewer through the breast meat of two birds, and place another one through the thigh meat. Do this until all of your quails are skewered in pairs.
- Give a salt sprinkle on the skin side of each quail. Then, let sit for a few minutes.
- When your rhubarb has lost its form and looks like it melted, transfer it to your blender along with your cherry juice. Puree, and transfer back to your saucepan. Add sugar, and bring to a low simmer. Allow to cook down and thicken into a glaze (about 15-20 minutes).
- Heat your grill.
- When your grill is hot, add your quail with the breast meat facing up. Cook for 7-8 minutes.
- Brush a little olive oil on the upward facing skin of your quails, and then flip. Cook for another 7-8 minutes until your meat reaches a minimum temperature of 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the meat.
- Remove your quail from the grill, and bring inside. Carefully remove the skewers (we like oven safe gloves and a fork to do this.
- Plate your quail, drizzle your glaze atop, devour, and enjoy!
