La Vie en Rose.
Eight years ago, when visiting our friend Marie-Lise in Paris, Mark and I stood on her terrace and marveled at the beauty of the city. Mark sighed a contented sigh and said, “All we need now is for someone to come out onto their balcony with an accordion to play La Vie en Rose.” And damned if some man across the street didn’t do so just then! Could he have heard us?
It is an iconic song for the City of Love. This time, we heard it several times on the subway, in restaurants, and — on occasion — in the parks. Perhaps Parisians find the song a tiresome cliché, but it always takes me back to Paris; it makes me happy.
In French rose means pink. It is also the word for rose, the flower. This brings me to today’s recipe for quail and rose sauce.
My Cailles aux Roses is a really flavorful and simple dish. Keeping with the “rose” theme, I served it with a 2022 Cuvée Saint-Michel d’Esclans — a rosé from Provence. Read more about that on the Provence WineZine. The difficulty in making this dish might be sourcing the ingredients: quail aren’t raised everywhere — I got mine at Top Knot Farms here in Southern Arizona — and (shocking) not everyone has rose powder in their cupboard. Easy changes: use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or Cornish game hens; the rose powder is readily available online, or you can use some rose water or a bit of rose extract. By making a few easy substitutions, you can easily keep your vie en rose and your cailles (or poulet) aux roses.~ David
Cailles aux Roses
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Ingredients
- olive oil
- 4 bone-in quail, patted dry and trussed (see note)
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 1/2 teaspoons rose powder, divided
- 1/4 cup white or rosé wine
- 1 cup poultry stock (not broth)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- dried (or fresh if you have them) rosebuds and petals for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500°F.
- Oil oven-proof skillet and add trussed quail, breast side up. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Place skillet in the oven and roast the quail for 10 minutes. In the meantime, add the honey and 1/2 teaspoon rose powder to the melted butter; mix well and keep warm. After 10 minutes, brush the quail with melted honey-rose-butter and return to the oven for 6-8 minutes.
- When golden brown, remove the quail from the pan and set aside on a plate, covered, to rest. They will finish cooking as they rest.
- Heat the skillet to medium-high. Keep in mind, the handle will be very hot — I always repeat my mantra: metal conducts heat. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits remaining from the quail. When almost evaporated, add the sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons rose powder, and poultry stock and cook until reduced and thickened — about 5 minutes.
- Spoon some sauce onto a plate and top with a quail; snip the strings used for trussing. Garnish with rose buds and petals.
- Serves 4 as a first course, 2 as a main course.
- — if you cannot find quail, use bone-in, skin on chicken thighs. Set the oven to 475°F, and season the thighs; roast for 35 minutes, covering with foil if they get too brown. Brush with the honey-rose-butter and return to the oven, uncovered, for another 7-10 minutes.
- course.
- — for Cornish game hens, preheat oven to 375°F. Place game hens in a roasting pan and rub with olive oil. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 50 minutes, then baste with the honey-rose-butter and continue roasting another 10 minutes.
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Mimi Rippee
July 6, 2024 at 6:06 amWhat beautiful photos!!! A lovely dish.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 6, 2024 at 7:47 amThanks, Mimi!
Mad Dog
July 6, 2024 at 6:37 amThis reminds me of Tita cooking Codornices en Salsa de Pétalos de Rosa in Como Agua Para Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. The food scenes in the film are beautiful, if you haven’t seen it.
Great recipe and somewhat different to that of Laura Esquivel !
Cocoa & Lavender
July 6, 2024 at 7:51 amThe concept was definitely inspired by the movie which I saw when it came out (1992). Her quail and the Chiles en Nogada really inspired me. Does the movie go into the process she used to make the quail? I only remember the beauty of the final dish — it has been a long time!
Glad you like what I have done. Bet it would be amazing with rabbit!
Mad Dog
July 11, 2024 at 6:50 amI saw the film at the cinema in Barcelona, same year and even read the book! I’ve got a DVD somewhere – I need to watch it again. I think there are many scenes of food preparation, but I can’t remember how much detail. I do remember that the recipes are included in the book.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 11, 2024 at 7:30 amI just looked, and found the book (in English) for my Kindle. (I’m trying not to add any more books to our bookcase as it’s starting to fall down!) I have to start by checking out all the recipes!
Susan Manfull
July 6, 2024 at 6:45 amI will ask Alexa to play “La Vie en Rose” before we recreate this dish with chicken. It looks delicious and we, too, have the same bottle from Garagiste! Lovely photos!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 6, 2024 at 7:52 amI’m glad you have some of the wine! It really paired so well. I hope you and Towny like the dish!
Barb
July 6, 2024 at 7:08 amBeautiful presentation and the quail look delicious! I have roses and will try this with the chicken thighs. Your ability to create striking recipes is amazing!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 6, 2024 at 7:55 amThank you so much, Barb — it was inspired by the movie “Like Water for Chocolate,”which I saw back in 1992. I’ve made several different iterations and I’m finally happy with this one! Glad you like it!
Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food Rose | Rosé, The Sequel - Provence WineZine
July 6, 2024 at 8:00 am[…] that you give it a go. It is Cailles aux Roses (quail in rose sauce). You can find the recipe on Cocoa & Lavender. (If quail are difficult to source, bone-in, skin on chicken thighs work well… and, honestly, are […]
Inger
July 6, 2024 at 2:11 pmPerfect title and the best story! This dish is absolutely darling though I was waiting for you to say you got the quail at your farmer’s market 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
July 11, 2024 at 7:31 amYou know I always get my quail at the farmers market! I really want you to come back so that you can be there on a Sunday morning. It’s spectacular!
sherry
July 6, 2024 at 6:32 pmi love florals in food unlike many people i know 🙂 So lavender and rose are wonderful i think. this dish sounds lovely David. Beautiful photos!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 11, 2024 at 7:31 amI agree, Sherry. Lavender and rose are perfect in food, as long as you don’t use too much. They need to be settled. Just wait until you see my upcoming post for my sorbet. It’s a new favorite!
Ronit
July 7, 2024 at 3:17 pmHoney-rose-butter – what an amazing combination!
I doubt I’ll be able to find quails, so thanks for the suggestions for alternatives. 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
July 11, 2024 at 7:32 amQuail are even hard to find here in Tucson. So knowing that I can make this with Cornish hens or chicken thighs makes a big difference. I’m so glad you like the honey rose butter. It’s subtle but so good.
angiesrecipes
July 9, 2024 at 10:30 amI LOVE quails! This is such a beautiful and delicious recipe, David.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 11, 2024 at 7:32 amThanks, Angie! It was a fun one to play with.
Kelly @ Foodtasia
July 12, 2024 at 1:22 amSuch a beautiful dish, David! I’m so intrigued by the flavors!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 13, 2024 at 4:58 amThe flavors really worked so beautifully, Kelly! Thank you. Are you back to blogging again?
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
July 16, 2024 at 1:58 pmI do love botanical elements in savoury dishes, but I have never tried the combination of poultry and rose (with lavender only). This sounds intriguing and delicious! And in fact I have a package of rose powder, so I may make this happen his summer… if I can find quail 🙂
Raymund
July 16, 2024 at 7:54 pmIt’s inspiring how you’ve adapted it for local ingredients, making it accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Cheers to keeping the “vie en rose” alive in both cuisine and memory!
2pots2cook
July 22, 2024 at 6:03 amBeautiful and delicate! Rose powder is great to use for body care as well. I always try to get a pack of one that can be used for cooking and body treatments. You have really inspired me to get a quail. Eggs are available so I hope there are birds that laying them nearby …..
Cocoa & Lavender
July 22, 2024 at 7:47 amI did not know that rose powder was used for body care — I will look more into that! Thanks, Davorka.
Jeff the Chef
July 23, 2024 at 4:48 amRoasting a whole chicken takes a lot of talent, I always feel. Yours looks marvelous, and that sauce, divine. I’m oner of those who does not stock rose powder, but I do have a bit of rose water.