Culinary Adventures with Camilla

When we moved to the secondi section of our  Ab Ovo Usque Ad Mala  Thanksgiving menu, I was inspired by this passage in Crystal King's  The Chef's Secret* -  "She closed her eyes and savored the flavors. He himself has studded the birds wtih cloves and stuffed them with fennel.... He had spooned the pomegranate sauce over their wings, the little seeds falling onto the plate like tiny jewels" (pg. 47). I have always likened the color of the arils to a clear ruby or garnet. And we love quail at this house. So, this was an easy pick for a main dish as I haven't roasted a turkey in probably twenty years for Thanksgiving!   Ingredients  serves 4  (I tripled this for the dozen guests at our table) 4 whole quail 1 fennel, trimmed and thickly sliced 1 T smoked 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 Al...

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 ...

This is a sponsored post written by me in conjunction with the February #WinePW event. Wine samples were provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. Jill of of L'Occasion is hosting the Wine Pairing Weekend - #WinePW - group this month as we explore the wines of Uruguay. You can read her invitation here . And several of us were also lucky enough to receive samples arranged by Amanda Barnes of South American Wine Guide   who also shared this article and tech sheets on all the bottles. That really made my life easier since I had never had any wine from Uruguay! Always happy to learn though. The Posts Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings presents   Uruguay’s Bodega Garzon Tannat Paired with Lamb Skewers and Beef Short Ribs . Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla gives us Brined Quail with a Numbered Bottle of Tannat. Cindy from Grape Experiences provides  Taste Uruguay: 1752Gran Tradicion M...

Yesterday I went to a mole making class with a bunch of friends. Click for that post which includes the recipe for Mole Poblano .  We has so much fun and ended up with lots of leftover sauce. So, for dinner tonight I decided to use some quail to make  Codorniz en Mole Poblano (Quail in Mole Poblano). This is so easy and so tasty...thanks to the delicious sauce from our class. Ingredients serves 4  4 semi-deboned quail (I order mine from D'Artagnan , they are approximately 4 ounces each) freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper 1/2 t fresh parsley, minced mole poblano Procedure Place quail on a platter. While the grill or grill pan heats, sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and parsey. Drizzle with olive oil. Warm the mole sauce in a small skillet and keep warm. When the pan is hot. Place the quail flat and cook them for 4 to 6 minutes. Check on them once or twice to make sure that they are not browning too quickly. Spoon some mo...

For a family who has no real culinary traditions for Thanksgiving, save our adventurous tradition, quail seems to make its way to our table almost every year. Done a different way each year, of course. So, this year, in line with my page to plate Thanksgiving theme, I served 'tequila mockingbird'. You know...after To Kill a Mockingbird. Ingredients 8 quail (the ones I found this year were deboned) 1/4 C tequila (I used a Buddha's Hand-Infused Tequila ) 1/4 C ginger syrup 1/4 C olive oil 1/2 C freshly squeezed orange juice 1/4 C freshly squeezed lime juice (I used fresh Bearrs lime) 1 T ground coriander 1 T ground smoked paprika 1 t sea salt 2 T fresh, rough-chopped cilantro Procedure Whisk all ingredients together - except for the cilantro - and marinate quails for at least 6 hours, longer is better. Grill over hot coals. Serve hot with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro and more salt, if desired.

For this month's  Food'N'Flix ,  we watched Like Water for Chocolate , picked by Elizabeth at The Law Student's Cookbook . I remember reading that book years and years ago...and seeing the movie when it first came out in the early 1990s. Being a passionate cook, the connection between emotions and food appeal to me. A lot.  Click to see Elizabeth's invitation ...you still have time to join the fun.   This post contains an affiliate link for the DVD at the bottom. This is a movie - like last month's selection - that I haven't seen in, probably, two decades. And, at the time, I had just finished reading the book which I adored. It was nice to see this movie again with a few more decades of relationships under my belt. On the Screen... I'm not going to say too much about the events in the movie. But I'll set the scene. Set in a Mexican border town, in the early 1900s, Tita and Pedro are a young couple madly in love. But they can never m...

When we went to the Renaissance Faire with some friends this past weekend and I just had to share our culinary treats that had us asking: does size matter? See right! I ordered the grilled quail platter - with a miniscule bird, creamed spinach, and wild rice. Pax went for the hunk o' poultry and got the roasted turkey leg. Okay...his was bigger. Certainly. But mine was delicious and exactly what I wanted. But, then again, we love quail and aren't too keen on turkey. Here are two ways we like to eat quail: In Almond Sauce and Marinated and Grilled . Oh this is making me hungry. I might have to get some more quail...

My marinated quail was such a hit last year for Thanksgiving that I decided to do it again. This year, to stick with the Californio theme, I served the birds with an Almendrado (almond sauce). I also used more of my chardonnay molasses. Delicious! Ingredients 4 crushed tepin chilis 2 bottles of birch beer or root beer 1/2 C balsamic vinegar 1 t ground cumin 2 T fresh oregano 2 T fresh thyme 1 t sea salt 1/2 C chardonnay molasses 1/2 C olive oil 2 T fresh, rough-chopped cilantro Procedure Whisk all marinade ingredients together and marinate quails for at least 6 hours. Grill over hot coals. Thanks to my grill-master husband for making this so easy.

During my amuse bouche menu planning, I had grand plans to make Oeufs Mimosa (Deviled Quail Eggs).  So I located the eggs at a local Asian market and boiled them, thinking that I would whip out the eggs and make them on the spot during the party.  Well, let's just say that I had more going on that I anticipated in getting all the food out of the kitchen and onto the table.  I ended up having two friends peel the eggs and served them simply with a roll in pink Himalaya salt.  Delicious, one-bite, but definitely not what I had planned.  Still, I think I would serve them again exactly the same way!