Baked Quail with Cranberry Orange Pecan Stuffing

This elegant roasted quail gets rich flavour from a nutty cranberry orange stuffing, orange basting sauce, and cranberry glaze.

Quail:
1½ cups cranberry juice
1¼ cups sugar
1½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1½ tsp. orange rind, finely grated
½ cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted

Cranberry Orange Pecan Stuffing:
8 quail, dressed
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly cracked

Garnish:
orange rind strips

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3).

Cook cranberry juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, 25 minutes or until sugar melts and mixture thickens. Add cranberries and orange rind; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until cranberries pop. Remove cranberry glaze from heat; let cool.

Stir together orange juice and melted butter.

Spoon about ¼ cup stuffing into each quail, and tie legs together with string. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; place in a shallow roasting pan. Brush with orange juice mixture.

Bake for 1 hour, basting quail with orange juice mixture every 15 minutes. Broil 5½" from heat 3-4 minutes or until golden, if necessary.

Serve with cranberry glaze. Garnish, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.