Recipe: Quail in Blackberry Sauce

Recipe source: Trutter, Marion.  Culinaria Russia.  H. F. Ullmann Publishers, Germany, 2007 p. 257

A while ago, I was in the Super 88 Asian Market in Quincy when I found a six-pack of frozen quail.  I had never tried quail.  I'd heard about quail, but the opportunity to try it had simply never come up.  I threw the quail into my cart and figured that I was sure to find a recipe for it later.  A while later - a good while later, to be quite honest - I stumbled upon this recipe.  The original calls for pigeon.  I didn't have pigeon, and after a brief discussion with my husband I understood that if pigeon were served I would be the only one eating pigeon.  I decided that quail would make an adequate substitute. 

I did make another small change to this recipe: I couldn't find unripe green grapes.  I bought the least ripe of the green grapes that I could find in my local Whole Foods.  I don't think that this was a bad thing, although I can't say for sure as I haven't tried the original.  I did increase the amount of garlic, and I neglected to reserve some berries and grapes for use as a garnish.  We both really liked this recipe, and I would absolutely make it again given half a chance.  I think that, given the fact that I omitted the garnish, using frozen and thawed blackberries would probably bring the cost per serving down dramatically.  Of course, waiting until blackberries are actually in season would probably help a lot.  I'd like to try this by grilling the quail as well, probably over low heat on the Big Green Egg so that they don't dry out.  The recipe that follows is the recipe as I prepared it.

Quail in Blackberry Sauce (serves 3 as a main dish, 6 as a first course; approx. $7.91/serving as a main dish.)
6 quail, thawed if previously frozen.
Kosher salt
4 tablespoons melted butter
Approximately 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 lb green grapes
1 lb blackberries
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bunch dill, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Equipment

• Roasting Pan
• Basting brush
• Food processor
• Fine sieve

1. Preheat the oven to 440 degrees.
2. Salt the quail both inside and out. 
3. Brush the quail with the melted butter.
4. Dredge the quail generously in the breadcrumbs.
5. Roast for approximately 30 minutes. 
6. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.  Puree the grapes and blackberries together in the food processor.
7. Strain the resulting liquid in the sieve. 
8. Add the garlic, dill and cilantro to the food processor and puree. 
9. Add the blackberry and grape juice and blend well. 
10. When the quail is finished roasting (internal temperature of 180 degrees), put on a serving plate with steep sides.
11. Pour the sauce onto the plate.
12. Serve!  

SOURCE:  http://www.fearlesskitchen.com/2008/04/recipe-quail-in.html