Galton Blackiston's Quail Scotch Eggs and Tomato Dipping Sauce
Yes, this takes two hours to make, yes, it is worth every minute of it! Tiny Scotch eggs with a delicious, fresh tomato sauce that makes it zing.Serves 4 to 6 peoplePreparation and time: 2 hours Cooking time: 5 minutesIngredients24 quail eggs750 g sausage meat (I used half sausage and half ground pork. I added a bit more salt to the sausage mix to season the ground pork.)2 tablespoons Dijon mustardPepper 1 egg2 teaspoons chopped chives2 tablespoons finely chopped parsleySeasoned flour (1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper)1 whole egg and ¼ cup whole milk2 ½ cups fresh bread crumbs (I made my own using 4 slices of brioche loaf bread.)Ingredients for Tomato Sauce85 g/1/2 cup tomato catsup50 ml/3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon oil. (He uses rapeseed, I used sunflower oil.)50 ml/3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (I used champagne vinegar.)1 tomato, peeled 2 shallots, finely chopped or use spring onions (I used 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion)2 tablespoons chopped chives2 or 3 leaves of fresh tarragon or ¼ teaspoon dried5 drops Tabasco sauce2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauceSalt and pepperDirections1. Fill a small saucepan with water deep enough to cover your tomato, and bring the water to a boil. Remove the stem of the tomato and incise the bottom of the tomato with an X. Drop the tomato in the boiling water and let it parboil for 2 minutes. Remove from boiling water and place in a bowl of ice water. Remove the peel. Set tomato aside.2. In the same saucepan, bring the water back to the boil and lower the quail eggs gently into the water. If you are at sea level, Blackiston insists that you let the quail eggs cook exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds. (Set a timer.) Since I am at 7,000 feet above sea level and the recommended adjustment is a 2% increase for every 1,000 feet, it is estimated that the cooking time at 7,000 feet above sea level will be approximately 2 minutes and 51 seconds. When the time is up, remove the quail eggs from saucepan and place in the same bowl of ice water used for the tomato. Gently peel the quail eggs, carefully lifting the inside membrane that sits against the cooked egg to help make the peeling job easier.3. Make Sausage Mixture: Mix together well with hands: sausage meat, 1 tsp salt (if you use half ground pork, as I did; otherwise, omit the extra salt.) mustard, pepper, egg, chopped chives, and parsley. Spread between two sheets of waxed paper and roll out to 1/8 inch/or approximately 3 mm thick.4. Take each peeled quail egg and coat with sausage mixture. Once the egg is coated with aobut 1/8th inch/3 mm of sausage, form the sausage around the egg, rolling it between your palms to create a spherical shape. 5. In a small bowl, combine flour and salt and pepper. In another, separate small bowl, beat the egg and milk together. Place breadcrumbs in a soup bowl. Gently dredge first in flour mixture, then dip in the egg mixture, and remove each with a fork, to let the liquid drain back into the bowl. Roll the balls in the breadcrumbs and set aside on a plate, cover and refrigerate. If you are serving these at dinner, you can do all of this in the morning and refrigerate them, bringing them out to cook in the evening, just before serving. 6. Make the Dipping Sauce: Cut off the stem-end of the tomato and plunge your fingers in each cavity in the tomato to remove the seeds. Discard seeds or save to dry for next year’s garden. Cut the remaining tomato into small dice. Place diced tomato into small bowl. Add catsup, oil, white wine vinegar, shallots or onions, chives, tarragon, Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all together and set aside.7. About 5 minutes before serving your scotch eggs, have your salad-sized plates ready. Heat sunflower oil in a large, deep-sided pan and bring the oil from 160°-180° C/320° to 356° F. Using a slotted spoon or skimmer, gently lower the quail eggs into the hot oil and cook for approximately 5 minutes, (It takes 5 minutes at 7,000 feet above sea level but only2-3 minutes at sea level.) turning the eggs occasionally until the eggs are golden. Have paper towels at the ready on a baking sheet by the pan. Place cooked eggs on paper towels. Serve Scotch eggs hot or cold and garnish each plate with the tomato sauce.