Roasted Quail, White Bean Salad, and Chateau d'Epire Savennieres Grand Cru d'Anjou 2017 #Winophiles

This month I am hosting the French Winophiles with an exploration of the wines from Anjou-Saumur. You can read my invitation here. Not being very familiar with those wines, I tracked down several bottles to pour and pair. One of the bottles I found - Chateau d'Epire Savennieres Grand Cru d'Anjou - was a lovely addition to a summer dinner on the patio. I'm having fun trying new-to-me wines.

In My Glass

This wine hails from Savennières, a commune near the Loire River that's approximately 10 miles southwest of Angers and best known for its production of highly rated white wine. Made with the Chenin Blanc grape, these wines have the unique characteristic of being both weighty and light. It had a full-bodied mouthfeel that was lightened by bright acidity. It was an interesting, satisfying pairing.

On My Plate

We love quail. So, when I can get it, I always do. This was a simple preparation of a paprika-based rub, then roasted. It's so easy; the hardest part is trussing those little guys!

Ingredients serves 4

• 4 whole quail
• 1 organic onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 T smoke paprika
• 1 T sweet paprika
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 t ground coriander
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground ginger
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• olive oil, as needed
• Also needed: 100% cotton twine, roasting pan
• For serving: white bean salad (recipe to come)

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 500°F. 

In a small bowl, mix together all the dry spices along with a few grinds of salt and pepper. Place a quarter onion in the quail cavity and cross its legs. Tie the twine around the legs to keep them in place. Rub the quail with the spice blend and place in a rimmed roasting pan.

Drizzle the quail with olive oil and place in the preheated oven. Roast quail for 10 to 12 minutes. They should be nicely browned. Remove the birds from the oven. Tent with foil and let rest for another 10 minutes.

Serve immediately while hot. However, if you have leftovers, they taste great cold as well.

I served this with a white bean salad on the side.