All of this sounds great.
Another angle - if you're concerned about the bird drying out, pluck them then make some compound butter (butter, softened but not melted, with chopped/crushed herbs mixed into it) and slip a knob under the skin, then work it around evenly, particularly under the breast skin. I usually use fines herbes - parsley, chives, chervil and tarragon - in just about anything poultry or egg related. You can also use thyme or, as Phyllis did upthread, use herbes de Provence, similar to fines herbes but with the addition of rosemary and lavender.
Serving on fried bread or toast is a classic method, not just for quail but also woodcock and other small gamebirds. Soaks up the juice so it doesn't get lost.
Also, if you have some dried mushrooms, you can grind them in a mortar and pestle to a flour and add a touch to the cream sauce where they will help thicken and flavor it. Just a dab - the drying intensifies the mushroom flavor.
