Quail in a Rosehip Raspberry Sauce

This recipe for quail in a rosehip raspberry sauce is from episode 11 of This Food That Wine.

Wine Suggestion: Tempranillo

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup of red wine (250ml)
• 1 tablespoon rosehip jelly (15ml)
• 1/2 of a fresh vanilla bean
• 1 whole star anise
• 2 tablespoons white onion, finely diced (30ml)
• ½ cup fresh raspberries (125ml)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup of toasted roughly chopped macadamia nuts for garnish (125ml)
• 2 cups mixed organic greens for garnish (500ml)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Wash quail with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.  Season the quail with salt and pepper.
3. Set a large skillet over high heat and add the oil and butter.  Allow the skillet to heat for 20 seconds.
4. Place the quail skin side down in the pan and allow them to cook for 3-4 minutes, until a crispy golden brown skin forms.  Flip the birds and cook for another 2 minutes.  Place the pan in the preheated oven.  Cook an additional 6 minutes.
5. Remove the quail from the pan and set on a tray.  Cover the tray with foil and allow the meat to rest.
6. Use the same pan the quail was cooked in to make the sauce. Place the pan over medium heat.  Add the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan and release the caramelized bits remaining from the quail.  Continue to stir all as you add the rose hip jelly.
7. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the scraped vanilla bean, star anise, chopped onion and the raspberries.  Allow the mixture to cook for 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and strain the sauce into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer.
8. To plate the dish, place a quail in the centre of a plate and drizzle with the rosehip sauce.
9. Garnish with macadamia nuts and fresh greens.

Pairing Notes

Description: Tempranillo is a popular Spanish grape that makes a medium to full bodied red wine.  This one is made in the region of Rioja and is labeled “Crianza” which means that it must age for at least 2 years before it is sold on the market, at least 6 months of which must be in oak barrels.  The wine has aromas and flavours of raspberry and vanilla (from the oak aging), and a smooth, rich mouthfeel (because it has had time to mature).  

Pairing: This wine is quite full in body, but because it is low in tannin and feels smooth in the mouth, it doesn’t overpower the quail meat.  The raspberry and vanilla flavours of the wine perfectly mirror the flavours in the rosehip sauce, which actually has raspberries, vanilla, and the wine itself as ingredients. 

Wine Suggestion: Montecillo Crianza Rioja (Rioja, Spain)