It’s been a busy summer. New job, lots of international travel … and, most importantly, some construction at the house that included a kitchen upgrade. I can finally cross something off my wish list, a couple of things actually! My kitchen now has a back splash and an external exhaust fan. Hooray!  

Like all the good things in life, my kitchen upgrade didn’t come without sacrifices. (I’m counting the lack of posts as one of them!) But, let’s focus on the positive. Doesn’t it look great? 

These little fellows are so much fun to work with. I first had quail at one of José Andrés’ DC restaurants, Oyamel, just a few months ago, so this was my first time working with this lovely bird. 

Quail does sound quite intimidating. It’s not something you’d easily find at restaurants or grocery stores. But I can assure you, it’s no more difficult that working with other poultry.

I got my quail from an online European grocery store. Quail is a big deal across the pond (or so I’ve heard) and quail hunting is a pretty big sport. My quail came from a farm in North Carolina (yeah, I know, North Carolina quail in an online European store … oh well) — it was raised with the sole purpose to one day land on my plate, so it doesn’t have that game taste.  

I’ve modified this recipe slightly. For my stuffing, I used a mix of porcini and wild mushrooms, Spanish onion, parsley (I could only find curly parsley but I strongly recommend using flat-leaf/Italian parsley), rosemary, sage, breadcrumbs, shrimp, chicken stock, and salt and pepper to taste. 

Be sure to clean and pat dry your quail (the wires made it really easy to handle, but obviously you’ll need to take them out). You want your quail to be dry on the outside so that it can get a nice brown color when you sauté it. 

Combine all ingredients for the stuffing and gently stuff your quail. You can either use a string to close opening, or tie the legs together.

Sauté in butter …

… on each side.

Finish in a warm oven so that your quail cooks evenly.  

Enjoy! 

This chocolate cake is bound to please even the pickiest chocoholic out there. It’s smooth, buttery, and oooooh so good. Its rich chocolate flavor comes from a combination of dark chocolate and cocoa powder.

What’s my secret? Quality Ingredients. And just like with most other dishes out there, it’s the ingredients that make this cake so outstanding (and, of course, The Joy of Baking, which is the perfect source sweet recipes).

Yes, quality ingredients are more expensive … but taste so much better, and are better for you. So put the cheap stuff aside and invest a little in your food.

For this recipe, I used Scharffenberger 99% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar and Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. The bar comes in a 9 oz bar, which is perfect for this recipe since we need 4 ounces for the batter and 5 ounces for the frosting. 

I like to lay out all of my ingredients so that they’re ready when I need them. It’s important that you get all of your dry ingredients and whisk them together in a bowl before adding them to the mixture.

Another secret for this recipe is butter. It really has to be in room temperature so that it can blend nicely with all of your ingredients. Creaming your butter and sugar is the first step in this recipe, and it’s not going to turn out if your butter is still cold, period. I like to use European-style butter, which is much higher in fat content. Yes, I know, fat is not good for you, but I think it’s a must in cooking. (I also use whole milk … gasp!)

I just want to dip my finger and give it a try.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

And, put it together. 

You’re done. Dig in!

Lamb is a healthier alternative to other red meats. It’s really tasty, too! 

Lamb is available year round, with spring being the best time to buy it, since it’s fresh. Most recently, I purchased a couple of lamb chops from a small, family-owned farm in Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

I came up with this recipe on the spot, but I’m sure you can find lots of suggestions on the web, if you’re looking for something more detailed.

Preheat your oven to 250 F (120 C) before you get started.

First, marinate your meat. Olive oil and garlic seem to be the standard ingredients in any marinate. I added lemon juice, salt, rosemary, and a red chili pepper for some heat. 

Chop everything and mix with olive oil and lemon juice to create a thick marinate. Rub it all over your meat. Let it hang out for at least 30 minutes in the fridge so that your meat can absorb some of the flavors. 

Lamb is very versatile and depending on what cut you get, you can either grill it, roast it, or, like me, pan sear it.

This recipe would be perfect on the grill. I don’t have any outdoor space in my row house where I could put a grill, so I’m going to rely on my stove and oven. I’d love to get a stove-top grill, but I’d hate for my house to get really smoky. (Maybe one day…)

Put your pan on medium-high heat. No need to add any additional oil since the lamb is already covered in oil from the marinate. Rub off most of the garlic, rosemary and pepper, and gently put your lamb in the hot pan. 

You’re looking for a nice, golden color on each side, so wait a few minutes before you flip it.

See the layer of pink in the picture below? I seared each side but the center is still raw. Lamb is usually served pink, but I personally like my meat on the medium-well side.

With each side seared, I’m going to finish my lamb in the oven, for no more than 15 minutes on low heat. Add a lemon and some rosemary on the side for some extra flavor, and cover it. 

15 minutes later, lamb is rested and ready to go.

With all the wonderful flavors in the pan, I made some gravy to go along with my lamb.

Remove the rosemary and lemon from the pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of butter, one finally chopped shallot and a handful of chopped mushrooms, and let it simmer for a few minutes.  

Since I have two lamb chops, I made two serving variations. One of top of Israeli couscous … 

… and one on top of sautéed red cabbage. 

My mouth is watering! Enjoy!