Rachel Khoo: Quail of a Time

Turkeys are tricky to cook at the best of times, and in the largest of kitchens. Ideally they are brined the day before, roasted while all the vegetables are also in the oven and presented on an impressive plate at the table. The Little Paris Kitchen is no place for such endeavours. Like every festive occasion in the calendar, I have twisted the traditions to adapt and devise alternatives for pocket-sized feasts. Quails are dinky and delicious and fit snugly on to a small roasting tray, the only kind that will fit in my shoebox-sized oven.

Quails stuffed with chestnuts and apples

Serves 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes, plus 10 minutes resting

200g chestnuts, cooked
1 apple, cored and roughly chopped
100g free-range pork sausagemeat (approx one large sausage)
4 very small apples
4 whole quails
200ml dry cider
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.

Place the chestnuts, chopped apple and sausagemeat in a food processor, season and blitz together until smooth. Core the other apples, keeping the core. Cut off most of it, keeping 2cm from the base. Reinsert this back into the base of the apple, then, using a small spoon, fill the cavity with stuffing. Repeat with the other apples and make a horizontal slit all the way around each one.

Pop the quails on to a snug roasting tray. Loosen the skin above the breast by slowly sliding your fingers all the way across the top of the body. Gently slide the stuffing all the way across the bird under the skin, being careful to keep the skin intact. Repeat with the other birds and tie each pair of legs together with string. Tuck the apples between the quails on the tray. Pour the cider on to the tray and drizzle the oil over the skin of the quails and season the skin. Cook for 30-35 minutes. Then cover with foil and rest for at least 10 minutes.

Serve one quail and apple per person, with steamed Brussels sprouts. A good Pinot Noir is a lovely match for the quail.