Stuffed Quail with Blackberry Essence

Stuffed Quail

1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced carrots
1 cup cooked wild rice
1 cup cooked couscous
1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
Salt and pepper to taste
4 deboned quail
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium-hot skillet, sauté butter, celery, onion, and carrots for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and mix with rice, couscous, and sage; season with salt and pepper. Stuff quail and roast, basting occasionally with olive oil, to internal temperature of 140 degrees (about 10 minutes; 20 to 25 minutes if quail are not deboned).

Blackberry Essence

2 1/4 cups frozen blackberries
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Reserve 1/4 cup berries and 1/2 teaspoon orange zest for garnish. In a medium saucepan, simmer remaining berries, zest, sugar and chicken stock for 15 minutes, until berries are fully cooked. Put cornstarch in a small bowl and add enough water to form a thin paste. Add gradually to blackberry mixture, whisking over low heat until mixture is consistency of maple syrup. Strain to remove seeds from sauce.

Wilted Autumn Greens

1/2 pound spinach
1/2 pound arugula
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large head radicchio, cut into approximately 1-inch cubes
1 pound small heads Belgian endive, quartered lengthwise, cores removed

Rinse, dry, and destem spinach and arugula. In a large skilled (not iron), sauté garlic in oil over medium heat until golden. Add spinach, arugula, radicchio, and endive; cook, tossing continually, until barely wilted.

To serve, arrange greens in center of plate, top with quail, and surround with sauce. Garnish with whole berries and orange zest. Serves 4.