A review by suannelaqueur
Babette's Feast and Other Anecdotes of Destiny by Isak Dinesen

4.0

My parents recently went to a party where the hosts recreated the great feast from the book Babette's Feast, by Isak Dinesen. This famous meal features a dish, "Cailles en Sarcophage." Translation: Quail in Coffins. It's quail in a puff pastry shell with truffles and fois gras. I found a picture of it on Wikipedia and in my opinion, it's about the most un-romantic thing I've ever seen on a plate. If I could get beyond it looking like poultry suicide, and were inclined to make it, I do currently have the package of puff pastry in my freezer. But I still don't know how or where to get quail. What I did have however, were two cornish hens in the fridge, and Anna Shapiro's terrific book A Feast of Words. She has taken the quail dish from Babette's Feast and altered it to a more appealing Quail with Potatoes and Grapes. It sounded delicious and just the kind of special thing I was wanting to make for Valentine's Day. I didn't follow the exactly: first, Cornish hens need longer cooking time than quail. Second, I used about half the amount of butter. More here: http://suannelaqueurwrites.com/literary-eats/think-romantical-thoughts