Grand Recipes

Grand Residences Chef Guido de la Mora’s recipe of the month would be a showstopper dish for any summer dinner party. You can enjoy a Mexican version of the recipe in Flor de Canela in June. Stuffed Quail in a mild Adobo Chili sauce is the dish of the month.

Stuffed Quail

Serves 2 people 

Ingredients

  • 2 Cornish game hens or quail
  • Salt
  • Pepper

For the stuffing:

  • 1 cup bread
  • 1 cup of ground beef
  • 20 g. pancetta or bacon
  • Finely chopped onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 20 g. almonds
  • 20 g. raisins
  • 20 g. dried peach or apple
  • 20 g. cranberries
  • Grated lemon rind
  • ¼ cup butter
  • Beaten egg
  • ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 1 cup chicken broth

Instructions

Rinse the Cornish game hens inside and out with cool water. Drain all excess water and pat them dry with a paper towel.

To make the stuffing

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat then cook the onion, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until softened. Add the pancetta and ground beef and cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside to cool.
Cut the crust off the whole loaf of bread without taking too much of the bread with it. Cut or tear the bread into 2‐3cm pieces. Add to the pancetta mixture with the soaked cranberries, lemon rind, egg and thyme. Season then stir until combined. Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared dish and spray with oil. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and crisp on top, reserve.

To stuff the hens

Season and add about ½ cup of stuffing to each cavity
Cross legs over and tie with cooking twine. Trim excess twine.
Rub the skin with softened butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper and the fresh rosemary and thyme
Place hens in a pan lined with a baking rack. Pour chicken stock into the bottom of the pan. You want enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
1 cup chicken broth
Bake in preheated 400°F oven for 50-65 minutes until cooked through. The temperature should reach 180°F in the thickest part of the thigh and the stuffing needs to reach 165°F.
Halfway through baking time, remove hens, add a bit more butter to each hen and add additional broth to the pan if the pan is drying out. Rotate pan when returning to oven.
Allow hens to rest for 10 minutes before serving.