There’s a deceptive intricacy to the Middle Eastern cuisine at Gerard’s Bistro in Brisbane. It’s what attracted head chef Juliette Markovich to work at the restaurant.
“Coming here, I’ve really learned a different side of cooking. There’s a lot more detail to recipes but it’s a lot simpler on the plate,” she says. “The amount of work that goes into each element of the dish is really exciting.”
Markovich’s woodfired quail recipe sums up that philosophy: the fine details work together to create a seamless whole. There’s nothing here that’s out of reach for the home cook, though, with the quality ingredients doing the heavy lifting.
“I really wanted to focus on the quail,” says Markovich. “We get such great produce in Australia that I really wanted to focus on having it quite simple. The sauce is quite sweet from the verjuice, and it’s balanced out with the creaminess of the almond hummus, almond oil and the pickled green almonds.”
The dish is complemented by Markovich’s ideal wine pairing: Riddoch Coonawarra’s Cabernet Sauvignon.
“Because the cabernet is quite peppery and the dish is a bit sweet and sour, they kind of balance each other out,” she says.
The quail
Prepare one quail per person a few days out from cooking.
“Let it air-dry so all the moisture comes out of the skin and you can get that really nice crispy skin,” says Markovich. The opposite side to the skin will get a brushing of marinade about an hour before cooking.
When you’re ready to cook the quail, Markovich recommends a wood fire, cooking most of the way with the skin side facing the flame to get that ideal, crispy texture. You’re shooting for a golden-brown colour with some light hints of char – about 15 to 20 minutes.
The accompaniments
Each of the three supporting elements can be prepared ahead of time and bring their own flavours, creating a delicate balance in the final dish.
For the sweet verjuice glaze, look for green verjuice, the subtlest version of this unripe grape juice.
“Brown some butter and then reduce the verjuice with some shallots, garlic and thyme into a really thick glaze,” says Markovich. “Then add some Aleppo pepper to add a little bit of spice.”
The next component relies on green, unripe almonds that lend a crunch to a subtly sour pickle. Start by adding equal parts white wine vinegar, sugar and water to a pot along with your aromatics.
“Bring that pickling liquid to a boil and pour it straight over the almonds while they’re still hot, so it penetrates the skin,” says Markovich. “Then let them sit until they’ve retained all that liquid.”
The final element is whipped almond oil, which is akin to an almond hummus. Putting it together is simple: add blanched almonds, chickpea miso, water, sherry vinegar, bread, garlic and salt into a blender and slowly drizzle in olive oil.
“Blend it well so it’s quite smooth – you want it to be quite thick, almost like a puree,” says Markovich. “You can add some lemon juice to adjust the consistency however you want it.”
Presentation
Once the quail is cooked and rested, it’s time to plate up.
“Cut the quail up from breast to the leg and place it all by itself on one side of the plate, pouring the verjuice sauce over the top of the quail to give it a nice glaze,” says Markovich. “Then plate the [whipped almond oil] to the side and put the pickled almonds on the top.”
Then, you’re ready to serve with Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon.
Juliette Markovich’s Woodfired Quail
Serves 1
Preparation time: 1-2 days for quail to dry (can be less), 1 hour to marinate
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 whole quail
Marinade
1 clove garlic
2 sprigs thyme
1 tsp lemon zest
20ml olive oil
A pinch sea salt
Verjuice glaze
150g shallots
4 cloves garlic
50g brown butter
2 stalks thyme
500g verjuice
1 tsp Aleppo pepper
1 tsp salt flake
Pickled green almonds
5 green almonds
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
2 peppercorns
2 tbsp salt flake
2 juniper berries
Whipped almond oil
100g skinless whole blanched almonds
225g water
1 clove garlic
75g bread (preferably sourdough) crusts removed and cut into small 2-inch cubes
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp salt
30ml olive oil
20g chickpea miso
Method:
Clean out the quail and remove the spine by cutting down either side with scissors. Flatten the quail skin side up and pat dry with a paper towel. You can let it dry in the fridge (uncovered) for 1-2 days, which will ensure the skin is crispy when cooked. Once quail is dry, blend all the marinade ingredients together. Brush the quail with the marinade on the flesh side only and let marinate for 1 hour. Season with salt all over.
Heat grill or barbeque to medium-high heat and cook quail on skin side until golden, for 5-6 minutes. Flip and cook for a further 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
To prepare the verjuice glaze, slice shallots and garlic as finely as possible. Brown butter in shallow pot. Once butter has browned, add shallots, garlic, thyme and salt, and saute until translucent. Add verjuice and reduce on medium heat until it is a syrupy consistency for roughly 8-10 minutes. Once reduced, remove from heat, add Aleppo pepper and let it infuse. Strain off liquid and set aside.
To prepare the pickled green almonds, heat all ingredients except for the almonds in a pot and bring to boil until the sugar has dissolved. Strain the liquid off and set aside. Slice almonds 1mm thin lengthways. Heat the pickle liquid and pour over almonds while still hot. Leave to sit for one hour.
To prepare the whipped almond oil, place all ingredients except the olive oil in blender, blend until smooth. Slowly add in oil until emulsified. If puree is too thick, add more water to obtain desired consistency. Season with salt and lemon juice to desired taste.
To serve, cut quail up from breast to the leg and place on plate, and pour the verjuice glaze over the top. Plate whipped almond oil to the side and top with pickled green almonds.
*This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Riddoch Coonawarra. *
