Quail with Roasted Pearl Onion Yogurt Sauce, Portabella Rice and Braised Swiss Chard

Elegant and delicious!  This is a nice quail recipe!
   
     The goats milk yogurt adds a nice sharp flavor and the sweet roasted pearl onions sweeten the sauce.  This sauce is very nice with roasted quail.  Braised Swiss Chard is a classic european vegetable.  Mushroom rice is a good accompaniment for any kind of poultry.
     I wanted to create a nice simple ski lodge or chateau style recipe with ingredients that may be easily available in the Swiss Alps.  I did not want to make a fruit sauce or glace for the quail, like I have done for some of my past quail recipes.  I have used yogurt to make many Indian, Turkish, Persian and Arabic sauces.  I thought that a tart goats milk yogurt sauce would be nice with quail.  The pearl onions have a very sweet flavor after roasting.  Roasted pearl onions with the yogurt sauce seemed like an interesting idea.  All I can say is that the flavor combination is worth trying!
  
     Portabella Rice Recipe:
     Boil 1 cup of rice with 1 cup of water and 1 cup light chicken stock.
     Add 1 handful of finely chopped portabella mushroom.
     Add 1 pat of unsalted butter.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 1 pinch of herbs du provence.
     After the rice comes to a boil, cover the pot with a lid.
     Slowly cook the rice over low heat.
     Keep the rice warm on a stove top.
  
     Braised Swiss Chard Recipe:
     Heat a sate pan over medium heat.
     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped smoked bacon.
     Add 1 sliced shallot.
     Add 1 minced garlic clove.
     When the shallots become clear in color, add 1/2 bunch (about 4 to 6 medium size leaves) of sliced Swiss Chard with the sliced stalks.
     Saute the chard, till it wilts.
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of red wine vinegar.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 1 1/2 cups of light chicken stock.
     Simmer the chard slowly over medium low heat, till the braising liquid has nearly evaporated.
     Keep the braised Swiss Chard warm on a stove top.
  
     Quail with Roasted Pearl Onion Yogurt Sauce Recipe:
     Select a european style herbs du provence that has no lavender flowers in the mixture for this recipe.  American style herbs du provence usually has lavender flowers in the blend.  
     Use short bamboo skewers to pin the legs to the lower end of the quail breasts.
     Lightly brush the quail with olive oil.
     Season the quail with sea salt and black pepper.
     Sprinkle a little bit of herbs du provence on the quail.
     Place two thick slices of onion in a saute pan.
     Set the seasoned quail on the onion slices.
     Note:  The sliced onion will protect the quail from scorching against the pan and the onions will later be used to make the sauce.  A saute pan is used for the roasting because the sauce will be made with the pan juices.
     Add 8 to 10 peeled pearl onions to the pan.
     Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock to the pan.
     Place pan in a 350 degree oven.
     Roast till the quail are fully cooked but not browned.
     Note:  Browning a roasted quail beyond "well done" can cause the meat to become dry and chewy.  Take care not to roast the quail beyond the point of being fully cooked.
     Remove the quail from the pan and set them on a plate to rest for a few minutes.
     Remove the roasted pearl onions and set them aside.
     Set the saute pan that was used for the roasting, with the onion slices over a burner set to medium heat.  (Remember that the saute pan handle is hot from being in the oven!  Wear an oven mitt when grabbing the hot handle.)
     Add 1/4 cup of dry white wine to the roasted onions and pan juices.
     Reduce the wine, till is becomes a glaze.
     Reduce the temperature to low heat.  (Too high of a heat will cause the yogurt to break and separate.)
     Add about 3 to 4 ounces of plain Greek style goat milk yogurt.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Stir the sauce till it becomes smooth.
     If the sauce becomes too this add a couple spoonfuls of chicken stock.
     Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a small sauce pot over very low heat.
     Place the reserved roasted pearl onions in the sauce.
     Keep the sauce warm.
   
     Quail with Roasted Pearl Onion Yogurt Sauce, Portabella Rice and Braised Swiss Chard:
     Use a ring mold to place the portabella rice on the center of a plate.
     Set two small piles of the braised Swiss Chard on either side of the rice.
     Remove the skewers from the legs of the quail.
     Lean the roasted quail against the rice with the legs closest to the the rim of the plate.
     Spoon the roasted pearl onion yogurt sauce over the quail.
  
     The goat milk yogurt sauce has much more of a tart flavor than creme fraiche or sour cream.  The tart creamy yogurt flavor is very nice with the sweet flavor of roasted pearl onions.  The succulent flavor of roasted quail is very nice with the sauce.  The portabella rice flavor adds a nice depth to the plate.  The comfortable flavors of smoked bacon, garlic and shallots give the braised Swiss Chard a very old fashioned flavor.  There should only be a hint of red wine vinegar flavor in the braised Swiss Chard.
     This is a nice quail recipe with some great accompanying flavors!  Yum!  ...  Shawna