When I was asked by Hong Kong’s Mandarin Hotel to supervise an Italian fortnight to be held in one of their restaurants, my principal task, once we had agreed on the menu, was to instruct the staff in the preparation of the dishes. They were so professional that it all went rather smoothly, except for a slight collision with the French sous chef over these quail. When I informed him they had to cook for close to 1 hour, he gasped, “Ce n’est pas possible!” But not only was it <