Quail is the collective name for several mid-sized birds of the pheasant family. They are seed eaters that nest in the ground and are capable of short, rapid bursts of flight.

The common quail was previously favoured in French cooking, but the quail that makes it to our tables nowadays is most likely to be the domesticated Japanese quail, as this species is now bred throughout the world for culinary use. When choosing quail, female birds are the better option as they have a higher proportion of meat.

The quail egg is the smallest of all commercially available eggs. They have a beautiful speckled shell and a thick membrane that makes themeasy to peel when warm. The yolk is extremely large in proportion to the volume of the egg and is more dense in consistency than a chicken egg, with the white being more watery. Quail eggs are considered a delicacy and are sometimes used raw in sushi.

Quail can be bought in Ireland in most quality supermarkets and butchers. As far as I am aware there are no Irish breeders of quail. The variety we use in the restaurant is La Belle Rouge.

The following recipe, as with most of my recipes, can be tried in its entirety or the separate components can be done separately. I hope you enjoy it.

Roast quail with savoy cabbage, potato confit, tarte tatin of shallot, quail egg brioche and thyme sauce (serves four)

4 quail
Marinade as follows:
1 bunch thyme
1 small clove garlic
15ml olive oil
12 peppercorns
1 bayleaf
salt/pepper

Method
Remove quail legs and thigh bones. Make a marinade by mixing all the above ingredients together. Pour it over the quail leaving it overnight in the fridge. Remove the quail from the marinade, season and brown in a hot pan on three sides.

Place the quail into oven at 180 C for 10 minutes. Check and baste often. Remove quail and allow to rest for two minutes. Remove both breasts from each bird. Season the flesh side of the breast and place the two sides together. Serve on top of the cabbage.

Thyme sauce
5g thyme leaves
100ml white wine
10ml red wine
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1 shallot (diced)
300ml chicken stock

Method
Dice shallots and wash the thyme. Place red wine, white wine and vinegar in pot. Add shallots and thyme and cook until reduced to glaze. Add stock and reduce by half. Correct seasoning. Fold in butter and it’s ready to serve.

Ballontine of quail
8 quail legs
4 quail hearts and livers
1 small bunch chives
Salt/ pepper to taste
12ml brandy
1 egg yolk
1ml thyme oil

Method
Remove all of the bone and the skin from four of the quail legs, but retain the skin for later.

Remove only the thigh bone from the other four, remove the skin and cut the meat into small pieces.

Make a farce with the heart, liver and this quail meat by adding the egg yolk, brandy, salt/pepper and mixing, then passing the mixture through a fine sieve. Chop the chives and mix in, then correct the seasoning.

Fill the remaining legs with the farce and fold the skin back over the leg. Season and wrap the legs tightly in clingfilm and then in tinfoil. Cook in boiling water for 12 minutes.

Remove and rest for a further 10 minutes.

Remove the wrapping and serve with the cabbage and quail breast.

Savoy cabbage
1 head savoy cabbage (shredded)
10g unsalted butter
Salt/pepper
tsp of olive oil
100ml water
1 shallot (diced)

Method
Remove outer leaves of cabbage, cut remainder in quarter and shred finely. Wash cabbage and dice the shallot.

Heat a pan and add the butter and shallot, then add the cabbage. Season and cook for two minutes.

Add water and cook for a further three minutes. Drain and toss in the butter.

Quail egg brioche
4 quail eggs
Sea salt
4 rings of brioche
Clarified butter
Salt

Method
Cut four slices of brioche and cut into 5cm circles. Then cut into rings by taking out the centre with a cutter. Heat a pan and melt butter, then cook brioche until golden brown.

Break the eggs into each of the brioche rings, season with salt and continue to cook until soft. Serve.

Potato confit
4 potatoes cut into cylinders
200ml duck fat
1 sprig of thyme
14 white peppercorns
5g sea salt

Method
Cut potato into four cylinder shapes approx 3cm long. Season and place in warm pan.

Cover with duck fat, add sprig of thyme and cook in the oven at 65 C for approx 30 minutes. Remove, season and serve.

Tarte tatin of shallot
4 shallots
Butter
Sugar
4 rounds of puff pastry
Egg wash

Method
Peel shallots and saute whole until golden brown. Add butter and sugar and caramelise.

Place in small moulds and cover with puff pastry.

Egg-wash and bake in oven at 185 C for 12 minutes.

Remove and allow to rest for a couple of minutes, then turn out and serve.

Kevin Thornton is a Michelin-starred chef and owner of Thornton’s Restaurant on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin. www.thorntonsrestaurant.com