24 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY NOVEMBER 27-DECEMBER 3, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Chef Philip Wojtowicz of Oystertown in Monterey—voted by Weekly readers as Best New Restaurant of 2025—provides the entree in our cranberry-inspired recipe list. Its steps will generously reward the home cook. However, the team at Oystertown has also promised to add it to the menu as a short-term special for those readers who don’t want to try this at home. Quail Marinade INGREDIENTS 1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice 1 cup orange juice 1 white onion, roughly chopped 1 carrot, roughly chopped 3-4 large garlic cloves, smashed Salt and pepper to taste 8 quail (semi-boneless) DIRECTIONS Combine cranberry juice, orange juice, onion, carrot, garlic, salt and pepper. Add quail and marinate overnight. Oystertown Oyster Stuffing INGREDIENTS 2 cups milk bread cubes (the Oystertown team suggests Ad Astra milk bread) 16 large Pacific oysters, blanched, then chopped 1 cup white button mushrooms, chopped 1 carrot, diced 1/2 white onion, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 2 tablespoons rosemary 4 tablespoons sage Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup chicken stock 8 ounces unsalted butter 2 eggs DIRECTIONS Warm chicken stock. In a separate pan, sweat carrot, onion, celery, rosemary and sage in the butter. Add mushrooms and oysters; cook briefly. Pour hot stock over bread cubes. Mix in the sautéed vegetables and oysters. Allow to cool enough to mix in eggs. Cool. Stuff each marinated quail with the cooled stuffing. Cross legs and tie the legs. ROASTING THE QUAIL Sear stuffed quail in a hot pan until golden brown. Roast at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until medium-rare. Cranberry-Whiskey Sauce INGREDIENTS 1 pound fresh cranberries 1 cup orange juice 1 cup whiskey (Wojtowicz prefers Uncle Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey) 1/2 white onion, finely diced 3 tablespoons minced garlic Zest of 1 orange 1/2 cup toasted walnuts 1 cup beef broth 1/2 cup brown sugar 10 ounces unsalted butter 3 tablespoons chopped parsley Salt and pepper to taste DIRECTIONS Sweat onion and garlic in butter. Add cranberries and brown sugar; caramelize. Deglaze with whiskey; reduce. Add orange juice; reduce. Add stock; simmer and reduce to a thick sauce. Add toasted walnuts, orange zest and parsley. Adjust seasoning. PLATE Generously spoon cranberry-whiskey sauce onto the plate. Place roasted quail on top and garnish with herbs. The Weekly’s addition: Feel very accomplished, then eat. Roast Quail With Oyster Stuffing and Cranberry-Whiskey Sauce Philip Wojtowicz, Oystertown Chef Philip Wojtowicz plates Thanksgiving on a smaller scale, with roast quail on a cranberry-whiskey sauce. DANIEL DREIFUSS Berry Fine
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