Jacques came to dine at Norman’s in Miami with his family, and he made my kitchen team’s year when he came back to thank everyone and pose for a photo. Such a genuine man and a towering mentor to countless people everywhere!

Cornbread Stuffed Quail with Miso-Soy Glaze

Recipe details

Serves

8

To Make the Stuffing

Ingredients

  • 8 quail, semi-boneless, patted dry
  • Softened butter
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • A little neutral oil

Method

  1. In a small bowl, soak the currants in the port for about 30 minutes.
  2. Place the cornbread in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the butter and olive oil and when it’s hot add the garlic and jalapeño, cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add the corn, red onion, fennel and bell pepper and season with salt and pepper; cook until the vegetables soften some, about 3 minutes. Add to the cornbread along with the Italian parsley and mix well.
  4. Drain the port from the currants and add to the cornbread mixture; add the pistachios. Gently stir in the miso and season to taste; set aside.

For the Stuffing

Ingredients

  • ½ cup currants
  • ⅓ cup port wine
  • 4 cups of cooked cornbread cut or broken into bite-sized pieces

Method

  1. Pre-heat an oven to 400°F.
  2. Stuff the quail with the cornbread stuffing. Tie the legs together. Smear the butter around the outside of the quail. Season them with a bit of salt and pepper. Set aside.

Prepare the Miso-Soy Glaze

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, as needed
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeño, (or other chile) stem and seeds discarded, minced
  • 2 ears of fresh corn shucked and cut off the cob into kernels
  • 1 cup fennel, cored, trimmed and diced
  • ½ cup red onion, peeled and diced
  • ½ cup red bell peppers, diced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 cup toasted unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup organic white miso
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly cracked black pepper

Method

  1. In a small bowl whisk together the miso, sake, cane syrup, soy and chile paste. Set aside.

For the Miso-Soy Glaze

Ingredients

(Makes 1 cup)

  • 6 tablespoons organic white miso
  • 4 tablespoons sake
  • 3-4 tablespoons ‘Steen’s’ pure cane syrup
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Smoked Chilies Paste (I like ‘Luchito’ brand), optional

Method

  1. Heat a heavy skillet large enough to fit all of them over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add oil to the pan and place the quails in one-by-one breast side down. Brown them on all sides turning as necessary. Discard the excess oil and place the birds breast side up in the pan and into the oven.
  2. After about 5 minutes, remove the birds and baste them with the resulting fat to promote a crisp skin. Dab the birds with a dry towel to help the glaze adhere.
  3. Liberally brush the quail with the glaze; you can do this two or three times as they are cooking.
  4. Return them to the oven and cook until nicely colored, 8 to 12 minutes. Rest the quail for about 5 minutes before serving.