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Barbecued Quail with Celeriac Purée, Raisin and Sherry Reduction

4 people
Moderate

Prep time
10 mins

Cook time
40 mins

Total time
50 mins

Javier De La Hormaza

Recipe provided by

Javier De La Hormaza

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Ingredients

4 whole quails, cleaned and gutted
4 garlic cloves
8 thyme sprigs
8 peppercorns
200ml olive oil
Salt to taste
For the celeriac purée:
750g celeriac, peeled and chopped into small pieces
50g unsalted butter
½ tbsp of olive oil
100ml double cream
Salt
For the raisin and sherry reduction:
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
1 tbsp olive oil
100 ml amontillado sherry
500ml veal jus
25g unsalted butter, diced
Salt to taste

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Introduction

This is one of my favourite dishes of this year, the combination of barbecued quail, creamy celeriac and a rich sherry reduction echoes Spanish flavours at their best. A great dinner party main course that you can prepare in advance, leaving you to only cook the quail à la minute and serve.

Method

To prepare the quails, remove the backbones with kitchen scissors by cutting along either side of the spine. Put the quail breast side up on a chopping board and press until flattened to spatchcock each quail and make them easier to cook on the barbecue. Marinade the spatchcocked quails overnight in the oil, garlic, thyme and peppercorns.
For the celeriac purée, melt the butter and oil in a large frying pan, add the chopped celeriac and a large pinch of salt. Cut a round piece of greaseproof paper the same size as the pan and cover the celeriac. Cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the celeriac is very soft. If it starts to stick, add a splash of water to the pan. Meanwhile, bring the double cream to the boil in a small pan. Tip the celeriac and butter into a food processor and whizz until smooth. Add the double cream, a splash at a time, between blends, until it is a light puréed consistency. Season and push through a fine sieve.
For the raisin and sherry reduction, heat the oil in a saucepan and gently fry on a moderate heat the shallots, garlic and thyme until really soft, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat, add the sherry and reduce the liquid by half. Add the veal jus and reduce the liquid by half again, season with salt and strain through a fine sieve, making sure you press the cooked vegetables well. Allow to cool and set aside.
To cook the quails, pre-heat your barbecue and once hot, place the quails skin side down close to the embers and cook for 3 minutes, turn and cook for further 2 minutes. Rest in a warm plate for 1 minute.
To serve, re-heat the celeriac purée and the sherry reduction. Add the raisins to the sauce and bring it to a simmer before adding the diced butter a little at a time, whisking until fully combined. Spoon a bed of celeriac purée on a warm plate, sit one barbecued quail on each plate and spoon the raisin and sherry reduction.