As any child can tell you, there are three days of the year when eating chocolate for breakfast is not only acceptable, but to be actively embraced: these, of course, are Christmas day, Birthdays and, perhaps most obvious of all, Easter Sunday. If you’re eating chocolate right now, I salute you.
But it’s not just chocolate eggs that hold a special place in my heart – and that’s despite having a very sweet tooth. I also have a weakness for quails eggs. What is it that makes these doll’s house-like eggs so tempting to me? Is it their dinky size, their creamy richness, the air of luxury that clings to them or just the irresistible joy as they burst in your mouth when you bite into the oozy yolk? Added together, these reasons mean that quails eggs more than earn their place as a regular staple on our menu. The icing on the cake for me is that I can get freshly laid quails eggs daily from the village immediately along from Peat Inn. That means there’s barely one food mile, door to door.
I cook them simply in rapidly boiling water for two minutes and twenty seconds (sounds pedantic; always works) then plunge them straight into iced water to arrest the cooking. If you’re unsure, you can always do a tester. Then peel carefully and store in their miniature egg boxes until needed. They can be used cold in a salad, or as a canape. But their flavour is best appreciated in my view served warm. To reheat, just slide into simmering salted water for 45 seconds.
For an indulgent starter or bold brunch dish, try this dish of quails eggs in hollandaise sauce, you could even top it off with caviar if you’re feeling flush, giving you an exquisite combination of eggs on eggs. Happy Easter!
Feuillete of poached quails’ eggs with hollandaise sauce
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