Quail Saut& in Lard
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pluck, draw, and truss the quail neatly, wiping them inside and out with a wet cloth.
Tie the legs and wings close to the sides or skewer them with small wooden toothpicks.
Sauté and serve
Heat lard in a pan until it is deeper than the height of the birds and bring it slowly to boiling point.
Carefully lay the quail in the hot lard using a skimmer, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan.
Turn the birds constantly to ensure even cooking and browning.
After about 8 minutes, check if the quail is done by pressing the breast with a fork; it should feel firm.
Drain the quail thoroughly and serve on toast, garnished with a salad.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Quail
- Provides the main meat; cooking until firm sets the flesh and keeps it tender.
- Lard
- Conducts heat for frying and browns the skin, adding rich flavour and fat.
The step that matters
Laying the quail in the hot lard. Adding birds to lard that is not hot enough or crowding the pan drops the fat temperature, so the skin steams and absorbs grease instead of browning crisply. Lowering them gently and leaving room keeps the heat steady for even cooking.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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