Grilled Stuffed Quail with Kicked-Up Lentil Salade au Lardon

Ingredients

• 8 boneless quail, about 4 ounces each
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 6 ounces goat cheese
• 4 ounces prosciutto, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
• Kicked Up Lentil Salade au Lardon, recipe follows
• Fried leeks, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the quail in a baking dish and toss with the oil and lemon juice.

Combine the goat cheese, prosciutto and thyme in a bowl, and mix well. Stuff each quail with some of the cheese mixture and season on both sides with Essence. Place in a baking dish and bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes. You can also saute the quails in a pan for 3 to 4 minutes per side and then finish cooking in the oven.

Remove from the oven. Place 2 quail on top of each serving of Kicked Up Lentil Salade au Lardon, garnish with fried leeks, and serve immediately.

Kicked Up Lentil Salade au Lardon:

• 8 ounces French green lentils
• 3 whole garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 7 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups frisee
• 3 cups arugula
• 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese

In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Cover with water by 1-inch, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until just tender yet still firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and discard the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Place the lentils in a large bowl and set aside.

In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels, leaving 3 tablespoons of fat in the pan. Add the carrots, celery, shallots and garlic, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the vegetables to the bowl with the lentils. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and 4 teaspoons of the vinegar, tomatoes, parsley, Essence, salt and pepper, and toss to mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the frisee, arugula and bacon. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 teaspoons of red wine vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss the dressing with the greens and divide among 4 plates. Top with the lentil salad and the goat cheese. Serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Recipe from New New Orleans Cooking, by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.