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| What You Need: |
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8 quail, about ¼ pound each
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 small, peeled white onions, about ½ inch in diameter
8 sprigs parsley
8 two-inch pieces of celery
4 strips bacon, cut in half
½ cup melted butter (1 quarter pound stick)
1 cup chicken stock, fresh or canned
8 rounds of hot buttered toast, about 3½ inches in diameter
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Preheat the oven to 475°F. Wash the quail quickly under cold running water and pat them thoroughly dry inside and out with paper towels. Sprinkle the cavities of the quail generously with salt and a few grindings of black pepper.
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2. Then stuff each of them with an onion, a sprig of parsley and a piece of celery. Truss the birds by tying their legs securely together, and place them side by side on a rack set in a shallow roasting pan just large enough to hold them comfortably.
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3. Drape each bird with a strip of bacon, then roast them in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, basting every 5 minutes or so with liberal amounts of the melted butter.
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4. When the quail are a golden brown, cut away their trussing strings, and with a small spoon scoop out the cavity vegetables and discard them. Set the birds on individual rounds of toast arranged on a heated serving platter and keep them warm in the turned-off oven while you make the sauce.
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5. Pour into the roasting pan the cup of chicken stock and bring it quickly to a boil, scraping into it any brown bits clinging to the bottom and sides of the pan.
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6. Continue to boil briskly until the stock is reduced to about half its volume, then, off the heat, stir into it any of the remaining basting butter. Taste for seasoning, pour a spoonful or so over each bird and serve at once.
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