“Gamebird breasts can be prepared by gently pounding them with a meat mallet to make cutlets. With a cutlet, you make an even piece of meat. Anytime you cook a game bird, think about the shape of what you’re cooking. You want to create a uniform piece so it all cooks the same. You might even use a technique such as a braciole, pounding out the meat, rolling it with sauce or spice, and cooking it in the oven, or you can saute or grill it.” –Chef Denny Corriveau.

DIRECTIONS

1. Pit the cherries and slice them in half, then place them aside.
2. With a sharp kitchen knife, slice the corn off the cob and set aside.
3. Place your salad greens in a large bowl so they are ready to toss, and season the greens with sea salt. Place all the dressing ingredients into a medium-size bowl and whisk until the dressing emulsifies. Set aside.
4. Place the semi-boneless quail into a large bowl and coat with Wild Cheff Blood Orange Olive Oil. Season the quail with Wild Cheff Cinnamon Chile seasoning. Gently toss the quail so the seasoning and olive oil coat the quail completely.
5. While the quail is marinating, heat up your outdoor grill to high. Once the grill is heated, place the quail on the grill skin side down and reduce grill to medium heat. Cook the quail (flipping once or twice) until both sides are browned and the meat starts to pull away from the leg bones.

ASSEMBLING THE SALAD

1. Make sure the vinaigrette is still emulsified, otherwise whisk it up again to remix.
2. Slowly drizzle a small amount of the dressing over the salad greens. Gently toss the greens to coat them with the vinaigrette. Do not overdress the greens or they will be soggy. The key here is to add the flavor to the greens, but not drown them.
3. Using tongs, divide the dressed salad between four plates. Stud the salad with cherries, shaved corn, and goat cheese, then place a grilled quail onto the salad.

The full feature is published in the December-January 2016 issue.

Photo by: Carl Tremblay