Chef Arnaud Berthelier of Ritz-Carlton Buckhead – Atlanta, GA
Adapted by StarChefs.com
November 2006

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

Coffee Oil:
• 4 Tablespoons grape seed oil
• 2 Tablespoon ground coffee
  
  Squab:
• 2 squab
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• Sprig thyme
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 20 grams chicken breast
• 40 grams cream
• 20 grams foie gras trimmings
• 30 grams mirepoix, brunoise
  
  Artichokes:
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 20 grams mirepoix, brunoise
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• Sprig thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 200 milliliters white wine
• 200 milliliters chicken stock
• 4 baby artichokes, turned
  
  Jus:
• Reserved Squab bones
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds
• 3 Tablespoons Banyuls vinegar
• Butter, to finish
  
  Cardamom Crumble:
• 325 grams butter
• 340 grams brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cardamom
• 370 grams all purpose flour
  
  Celery Cloud:
• 1 celery stalk
• Salt and pepper
• Celery salt, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon soy lecithin
  
  Assembly:
• Salt and pepper
• Butter
• 4 cilantro leaves

Method:

For the Coffee Oil:
Infuse the grape seed oil and coffee together for 24 hours.

For the Squab:
Preheat thermal circulator to 65ºC. French the squab, removing and deboning the leg. Reserve the bones for jus. Season the breasts with salt and pepper and place in a Cryovac pouch with the garlic, thyme and butter. Vacuum at level 6 and seal at level 5. Cook until the breasts reach an internal temperature of 59ºC. Remove from the circulator and leave at room temperature until the squab temperature stops climbing, then place in an ice bath.

Combine the chicken, cream, foie gras and mirepoix. Season the squab legs and stuff with the chicken mixture. Roll into a cylinder and place in a Cryovac pouch. Vacuum at level 4 and seal at level 5. Cook at 65ºC for one hour.

For the Artichokes:
Preheat thermal circulator to 92ºC. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and sweat the mirepoix and garlic with the coriander seeds, sugar and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and deglaze with white wine. Allow to evaporate, then add the chicken stock, remove from heat and cool. Add the artichokes to the cooled mixture and place in a Cryovac pouch. Vacuum at level 7 and seal at level 5. Cook until the artichokes are tender, then place in ice bath.

For the Jus:
Make a jus with the squab bones. Caramelize the honey and coriander, then deglaze with the vinegar and add the jus. Simmer for 5 minutes and steep for an hour. Strain through a fine sieve and finish jus with butter.

For the Cardamom Crumble:
Preheat oven to 325ºF. Combine the butter and brown sugar, then add the cardamom and flour. Crumble the mixture onto a sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes.

For the Celery Cloud:
Juice the celery stalk and season with salt, pepper and celery salt. Bring to a boil and immediately chill over ice. Blend 20 milliliters of the juice with soy lecithin and blend with an immersion blender. Allow to rest for 1 minute.

To Assemble and Serve:
Remove the squab breast from the bone and season with salt, pepper and some of the Coffee Oil. Place in salamander for 3 minutes. Cover the artichokes with cardamom crumble and place in salamander for 2 minutes. Sear the leg in butter and slice.

Rest the breast on top of the leg. Place an artichoke next to the breast and top it with one cilantro leaf. Drizzle the jus on the quail and the remaining coffee oil around the plate. Top with celery cloud.