Watercress Salad With Pickled Quail Eggs Recipes

WATERCRESS SALAD WITH PICKLED QUAIL EGGS

Steps:

• Whisk together pickling liquid, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then add oils in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
• Toss watercress with just enough dressing to coat in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Serve salad with eggs.

PICKLED QUAIL EGGS

Steps:

• Cover beets with cold water by 1 inch in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer beets, partially covered with lid, until tender, about 40 minutes. Transfer beets to a bowl with a slotted spoon (reserving them for another use), then measure out 2 cups beet cooking liquid, discarding remainder. Bring beet liquid to a boil in a small saucepan along with vinegar, sugar, salt, bay leaves, and cloves, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool pickling liquid completely, about 1 hour.
• While pickling liquid cools, cover eggs with cold water by 1 inch in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring gently (to help center the yolks in eggs). Reduce heat and gently boil eggs, uncovered and undisturbed, 3 minutes (or 10 minutes for regular eggs). Pour off water and shake pan so eggs hit each other, lightly cracking shells. Cover eggs with cold water and let stand 15 minutes (to stop cooking and facilitate peeling).
• Drain and peel eggs, then transfer to a glass jar or deep bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons pickling liquid (for watercress salad vinaigrette; recipe precedes) and pour remaining liquid over eggs. Let eggs (quail or regular) pickle, covered, 24 hours.

WATERCRESS AND HARD-COOKED EGG SALAD

Steps:

• Trim off and discard tough ends of watercress. Rinse and drain well. Shake or pat dry.
• Put mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Blend with a wire whisk. Add oil, beating with the whisk.
• Add watercress, egg and onion. Sprinkle with parsley and toss.

CHIVE BLINI WITH CREME FRAICHE, QUAIL EGGS, AND TARRAGON

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Coarsely chop enough tarragon leaves to make 6 tablespoons, and set chopped leaves aside. Reserve remaining sprigs for garnish. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil; add 1 teaspoon salt. Add scallions, and cook until bright green and just tender, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add tarragon leaves, and cook until bright green, about 20 seconds; immediately transfer scallions and tarragon to the ice-water bath. Let cool completely.
• Drain scallions and tarragon, then squeeze dry in a clean kitchen towel. Coarsely chop, then transfer to a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add mustard. With machine running, add oil in a slow, steady stream; process until smooth and thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl; stir in creme fraiche. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 2 days).
• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Place a dozen eggs in a saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer; cover with cold water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to the ice-water bath, and let cool. Meanwhile, repeat with remaining eggs. Peel eggs, dipping them in cold water if needed to remove shell pieces. (Peeled eggs can be refrigerated in an airtight container overnight.)
• Pick 4 dozen small leaf clusters from remaining tarragon sprigs; set aside. Halve eggs lengthwise. Arrange blini on a platter. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon sauce in center of blini. Top each with half an egg, 1/4 teaspoon roe, and a tarragon cluster.

SIMPLE WATERCRESS SALAD

Steps:

• Combine vinegar, salt, and pepper in a salad bowl. Slowly whisk in oil. Add watercress and toss with vinaigrette to evenly coat. Serve immediately.