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Food, Fun and Fabulous 36 Juniper-marinated Quail with Port Wine Glaze Port Wine Glaze yield: 8 servings 4 semi-boneless quail 2 tablespoons toasted, finely ground juniper berries 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon fine-ground black peppercorns 2 sprigs fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, chopped 1 ½ cups port wine ½ cup red wine 1 tablespoon granulated sugar Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss until the quail are well seasoned; wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove rosemary sprigs. On a medium- hot grill, grill quail until medium or medium-well, about 5-7 minutes, turning to prevent burning. Do not overcook. Quarter the quail and drizzle with port wine glaze. Combine all ingredients in small, heavy-bottom saucepan. Over medium-high heat, reduce mixture until only 1 cup of liquid remains and it is the consistency of syrup. We use the Bob White semi-boneless quail and cut each bird in four sections for easy pickup hors d'oeurves. Quail hunting is an old tradition in the South and hunters would bring home enough to feed several families a delicious supper, which would be served up with hot biscuits, rice, and sorghum syrup. Stuffed Mushrooms with Sausage and Pecans 24 large mushrooms 1 pound pork sausage ½ cup onion, chopped 2 tablespoons parsley, minced 1 / 8 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped Wipe mushrooms with soft cloth. Remove mushroom stems; chop stems and set caps aside. Combine chopped stems and sausage in a large skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring to crumble, until meat is browned. Drain meat mixture into a colander and pat dry with a paper towel. Return mixture to skillet; add onions, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat until mixture is thoroughly heated. Cool meat mixture. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add meat mixture and pecans. Continue beating until mixed well. Place mushroom caps on an ungreased baking sheet; season with salt and pepper and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Drain juice from mushrooms and cool. Spoon sausage mixture into mushroom caps. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes. These are always well received at parties. You can make the mixture ahead and assemble the day of serving. Creamed spinach is an alternative filling. yield: 24 pieces

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