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By Root 218 0

and sauté until they’re well caramelized, 7 to 10 minutes. Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup of the red wine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Whisk in the flour, and add the remaining wine and the star anise. Reduce over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the liquid has thickened. Then add the beef broth, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Make sure not to let the sauce boil, and skim the surface with a spoon or a ladle every once in a while to remove the foam that forms. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Check the seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Return the strained sauce to the saucepan and set it aside.

Prepare the polenta: Combine the milk, garlic, and thyme sprigs in a medium saucepan and heat until the milk just begins to boil. Remove the garlic and thyme with a slotted spoon and discard them. Pour the polenta into the milk and stir until smooth. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add 1 cup of the stock. Cook the polenta slowly, stirring it frequently and gradually adding the remaining 2 cups stock, for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the pan from the heat and season the polenta with salt and pepper. Set it aside. (Do not use the Parmesan yet.)

Clean the chanterelles using a dry pastry brush to gently dust off all the dirt; then cut them into uniform small pieces. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and drizzle the oil into it. Add the butter and wait until it starts to brown. Then add the mushrooms, tossing them quickly with a wooden spoon to coat them with the oil and butter. Cook the mushrooms until they start to shrink and release their liquid, about 3 minutes. Stir in the shallots, preserved garlic, parsley, and thyme. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Season the chanterelles with salt and pepper to taste, and set them aside to cool.

FOR THE CHANTERELLES:

8 ounces fresh chanterelles

1 tablespoon rice bran oil or canola oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

½ shallot, minced

1 ½ teaspoons preserved garlic

1 ½ teaspoons minced flat-leaf parsley

Leaves from 2 thyme sprigs

1 tablespoon dry white wine

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE QUAIL:

3 tablespoons rice bran oil or canola oil

½ small yellow onion, finely chopped

½ small carrot, finely chopped

½ celery stalk, finely chopped

4 ounces foie gras, cut into 4 chunks

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 quail, semi-boneless

Four 4-inch bamboo skewers

To make the stuffing for the quail, heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil into it. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a plate and let them cool.

Season the foie gras pieces generously with salt and pepper, and place one piece in the cavity of each quail. Combine the cooked vegetables and the chanterelles, and divide the mixture evenly among the quail, stuffing it around the foie gras. Season the skin of the quail generously with salt and pepper. Cross the legs to close the cavity, and secure with a skewer.

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat, and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil into it. Place the birds, breast side down, in the pan (you might need to work in batches). Cook the quail until the skin is golden, about 3 minutes. Flip the birds over and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. Cook the quail on both remaining sides for 1 minute apiece. Once their skins have been seared, place the quail on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes. When they are done, the skin will be a nice golden brown all around and the meat will be pink.

While the quail is roasting, reheat the jus in the saucepan over medium-low heat. Taste the