GRILLED QUAIL SALAD

Grilled Quail Salad image

Josh Raymer, the creative young chef behind Fredericksburg's Navajo Grill, enjoys a little low-key partying at home on his days off. He and his wife, Julie, often invite friends in for a relaxed evening with simple food, a few good wines or a cooler full of beer, and some good conversation. Josh describes Hill Country parties as generally laid-back-dressing up means stepping into your "nicer" boots. But even the most casual affair on his stone patio includes music-Willy Nelson and the Texas Tornados are favorites. Decoration often consists of little more than bunches of herbs clipped from his carefully tended herb garden and plunked in jars. "We don't do much." Josh and Julie came to my garden party with their two-year-old son Hank and this equally irresistible salad. Don't let the semi-boneless instructions frighten you. You can order neatly packaged, semi-boned quail from just about any commercial outlet, including Josh's Bandera, Texas, supplier, Diamond H Ranch (www.texasgourmetquail.com). Semi-boned quail means the back, breast, and thigh bones have been removed, leaving the bird's skin and its tiny leg bones intact. This allows the birds to be laid out flat for easy grilling.

Yield serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 21

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Ingredients

1 small red onion, diced
1 teaspoon ground dried pasilla chile
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large sprig rosemary, leaves stripped and coarsely chopped
2 large sprigs thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Zest and juice of 2 limes
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 semi-boneless quail (back, breast, and thigh bones removed)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ears fresh corn, unshucked
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon ground dried pasilla chile
Zest and juice of 1 large lime
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pint fresh blackberries
1 pound arugula or mixed greens of your choice
6 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut into bite-size pieces

Steps:

TO MAKE THE MARINADE: In a large bowl, stir together the red onion, chile, garlic, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, lime zest and juice, and the 1 cup olive oil.
Submerge the quail in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours. If you are in a rush, marinate the quail for 1 hour at room temperature.
TO GRILL THE CORN AND QUAIL: In a covered grill, prepare a hot fire using hardwood (Josh prefers pecan) or fruitwood. Pull back the husk from the corn, remove the silk, and rewrap the ear with the husk. Arrange the corn around the edges of the fire, close the lid, and let them smoke for about 15 minutes. Transfer them to a plate and cover with a clean dish cloth. Remove the quail from the marinade, drain on paper towels, and season all over with salt and pepper. When the fire has cooked down to hot coals, place the quail over the hottest part of grill, close the lid, and cook them until the quail's interior is reddish pink and the flesh is firm to the touch, about 20 minutes.
TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE: In a bowl, whisk together the onion, chile, lime zest and juice, mustard, the 1/2 cup olive oil, salt, pepper, and half of the blackberries. Season with more pepper or salt, to taste. Gently stir in the remaining berries.
TO MAKE THE SALAD: Put the greens in a large bowl. Cut the corn kernels from the cobs. Toss the corn and cheese with the greens and vinaigrette. Arrange the quail on top of the salad. Let guests serve themselves, but gently remind them to take just 1 quail per person.
Grilling corn in its husk gives the kernels a golden color and a deeply sweet flavor. But if you prefer, grill them shucked, about 2 minutes per side, just until the kernels begin to blacken and blister.
Both the quail and the corn can be grilled at least 24 hours in advance and refrigerated. The vinaigrette can also be made 1 to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Bring the quail to room temperature before serving.