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Quail (cailles)

Erken's basic quail recipe: the birds are brushed with butter, the breast covered with vine leaf and slices of pork, fried in butter 15–20 min while basting, arranged on fried white-bread slices with cress and bread sauce.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 329 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Quail was a sought-after delicacy in the bourgeois kitchen. Erken emphasizes that the birds should be fat with white and firm fat, and uses the classic French method with vine leaf and pork around the breast to keep it from drying out.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Prepare the birds

    Pluck and clean the quail and truss them. Brush them with warm butter and salt them.

  2. 2

    Vine leaves and pork

    Cover the breast with vine leaves and tie thin slices of pork around the birds with string.

  3. 3

    Frying

    Fry the quail in warm butter for 15–20 minutes, and baste them often with warm butter. Alternatively they can be cooked in a cocotte like small game birds, or steamed in veal stock.

  4. 4

    Arrangement

    Remove the string. The vine leaves and pork may stay on or be taken off. If the pork is removed, brush the birds with warm jus.

  5. 5

    Croûtes and serving

    Fry the bread slices in butter in a pan or deep fry them and place the quail on them. Put everything on a warm platter, garnish with cress and serve bread sauce alongside.

Changes from the original

The ingredient list in the original is without amounts; guiding amounts for four servings have been added. "Pork" is given as thin slices of fresh/lightly salted side pork (bacon), "the lard pot" as deep frying. Vine leaf can be omitted if not available.

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Tidsmaskin – hva endret seg?

Velg to utgaver og se hva Henriette Schønberg Erken la til, fjernet eller endret mellom dem.

1914 (korrekturlest, s. 329)1949 (korrekturlest, s. 364)~32% av teksten endretfjernetlagt til
Vagtler Vaktler. (Cailles.) INGREDIENSER: Vaktler vinløv fleskeskiver brødcroutons brun sky kavring smør salt karse. Vagtler FREMGANGSMÅTE: Vaktler skal være fete og fettet hvitt og fast; de stekes som kramsfugl, i cocotte, eller de dampes i kalvebuljong. Fuglene plukkes, renses og sættes settes op; pensles over med varmt smør; dæk dekk brystet med vinløv og bind tynde ved å binde tynne fleskeskiver omkring. Stekes i varmt smør i 15—20 minutter, dryp drypp dem ofte med varmt smør. Ved anretningen fjernes traaden, tråden, men løv og flesk flesket blir paa eller ikke, som man vil. Hvis flesket ikke fjernes, skal der pensles over med varm sky. Anrettes paa franskbrødskiver, enten stekt i smultgryte eller paa pande på panne i smør. Lægges paa Legges på varmt fat, omgives omgis med karse; brødsaus serveres til.

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Frequently asked questions

How long should the quail be fried?
15–20 minutes in warm butter. Baste them often with warm butter during frying.
How are the birds prepared before frying?
They are plucked, cleaned and trussed, brushed with warm butter, the breast covered with vine leaf and thin slices of pork tied around with string.
What is served with them?
The quail are arranged on slices of white bread fried in lard or butter, placed on a warm platter surrounded by cress, and bread sauce is served alongside. If the pork is not removed, the birds are brushed with warm jus.
How do you recognize good quail?
According to Schønberg Erken's Stor kokebok (1914, p. 329), the quail should be fat, with white and firm fat. They can also be cooked in a cocotte or steamed in veal broth.

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