"Perhaps the most impressive of all the cookbook blogs are the three devoted to the 2004 edition of Gourmet magazine's "The Gourmet Cookbook" -- all 5¼ pounds and 1,300-odd recipes of it. Befitting this culinary Everest, all three writers are overachievers in their professional lives."

--Lee Gomes, The Wall Street Journal, May 28, 2008
"I should have told you before how much I've been enjoying reading your thoughts. You seem like such a great cook."

--Ruth Reichl, Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet Magazine, June 8 2008, comment on "Chocolate Velvet Ice Cream".

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Spice-Rubbed Quail and Turtle Brownies

Yes, quail again! Not everybody comes across quail when they're rummaging in the freezer, but I had an extra package from Pan-Fried Quail Night. I wanted to make something fun for J. on his last night so this was it.

If you are longing to make these quail dishes but don't have a shotgun or the extra folding money to order from D'Artagnan, try Middle Eastern or Asian markets--I read online that you can find quail there for a very reasonable price.

Anyway, here it is: Spice-Rubbed Quail:



If I could make a small suggestion--this spice rub calls for 1/2 tsp. of cayenne, so if you have sensitive mouths/digestive systems at your table you might want to ease back on that. I added just a pinch. I think the allspice adds great flavor, but really the star of this show is the molasses/lime sauce. People who will never ever search out quail might want to try this preparation with chicken--it's easy and a nice change of pace.

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Turtle Brownies are a perfect trifecta of chewy chocolate, gooey caramel, and crunchy pecan. You really cannot ask for much more than that when it comes to a sugar hit.

Like so many recipes in this book, this one calls for homemade caramel and this, my friends, is where common sense and a watchful eye take precedent over following directions. When you make caramel you watch the sugar boil itself into an amber gold and then you take it off the stove--you cannot fret over whether or not 14 minutes has elapsed. Too light and you just have syrup--too dark and you either have hard candy or a burned mass of sugar. Every stove is different so just stand by your pot and keep an eye on it--don't go move the laundry from the washer to the dryer or decide to water the houseplants thinking that the timer will call you back when it's just right.

I personally took my sugar off a little bit too early this time so my caramel is a bit runny, but really that just adds to the finger-lickin' fun, right?

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