Deviled Pickled Quail Eggs

Aren't these gorgeous?

Who doesn't love deviled eggs? Well, ok, my sister doesn't but she also doesn't like cream cheese so I think her judgment in the matter is best disregarded. But everyone else loves them, and with good reason. They are a perfect party/bar/appetizer/picnic food, and I'm loving that they have been so popular on menus in the last few years. Apparently, they also have earned their own holiday, and I'm ready to celebrate!

For the longest time I've wanted to try to make pickled quail eggs, despite the fact that the recipe I was introduced to and loved would necessitate bringing a vegetable most heinous into my kitchen, the beet. But I decided that these were tasty enough that that wasn't enough reason not to make them, especially once I got the idea in my head to devil them. In case you've never seen them, quail eggs are tiny, so tiny that they are unquestionably adorable but also a huge pain in the ass to work with. And so the idea of peeling two dozen of these, pickling them then slicing them open and carefully prying out their miniature yolks, only to cream them with mayo and mustard and pipe it all back into the shells, well it sounds insane, but it was the only option that seemed worthy to me of celebrating one of my most favorite foods.  

After a weekend soak in a spiced vinegar bath, with a just a little bit of heat from a pepper garnish, these guys are appropriately sour and cranky for a Monday. They are also shockingly pink thanks to some grated beet, and frankly just adorable due to their miniature size. If you are like me, and you always feel like you eat just that one deviled egg past the point of socially acceptable, you have no reason to worry. This addictive recipe makes a lot, and you can eat SO many before you ever need to wonder if people are judging you.

Happy National Deviled Egg Day!

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Deviled Pickled Quail Eggs

24 pickled quail eggs (I used this recipe from Chowhound)
2-3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp yellow mustard
pinch of salt
splash of pickle brine
chives (for garnish)
quick-pickled serrano peppers (for garnish, recipe below)

1. Slice each egg in half lengthwise and gently scrape out the yolks into a small bowl. Combine the yolks with mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pickle brine and mash and stir together into a smooth paste. 
2. Using a pastry bag or ziploc bag with one corner snipped off, fill each half with the yolk mixture. Garnish with chives and pickled serrano peppers, if using.

Quick-Pickled Serrano Peppers
2 serrano peppers, thinly sliced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar

1. In a small saucepan over high heat, bring vinegar, water and sugar to a simmer until sugar is dissolved. Place the pepper slices into a heat-proof bowl and pour the vinegar mixture over the peppers. Let sit at least 30 minutes. Blot each slice dry on a cloth or paper towels before placing on the eggs.

Korean BBQ Tempeh

Am I a picky eater or do I just know what I like?

I'd like to think the second one, because it seems I have a bit of a habit of trying to recreate restaurant dishes at home, either because I’d like to enjoy them more often for less money, or frequently because I’m convinced I can do it better (or at least in a way more pleasing to me). This blog isn't even a year old and by my rough estimate, over 10% of the recipes fall under this category. See exhibits A, B, C, D, E, and F. 

This sandwich is yet another example of a dish that gets me super excited when I see it on the menu of a local restaurant chain, but for some reason, it always flops a bit in execution. Well, actually, for a specific reason, flavor. If you tell me on a menu that your tempeh is going to be slathered in Korean BBQ sauce, then you better believe I’m expecting a glorious flavor bomb on my sandwich. If in reality what I end up paying for makes me yawn in disappointment, then I’m going to take your brilliant idea and run with it into my own kitchen, and grill up a better umami delivery system.  

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you exhibit G.

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Korean BBQ Tempeh

Makes enough for 2 sandwiches.  Inspired by the Plant. Sauce recipe adapted from Food & Wine.

1 package tempeh
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/2 tbs rice vinegar
1/4 cup gogujang
1 tsp sesame oil
1/8 cup ketchup
1/8 cup honey
2 cloves grated garlic
1/2 tbs white pepper
2 soft sandwich buns

For garnish:
1 small daikon radish, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tbs rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
1 tsp good coarse sea salt
Mayonnaise 

1. Bring a medium pot of water fitted with a steamer basket to a simmer. Cut the tempeh in half width-wise, then slice each piece carefully through the middle, so you have 4 thin tempeh squares. Steam the tempeh for 10 minutes.
2. While tempeh is steaming, whisk together all sauce ingredients until smooth and pour into a sealable bag or a shallow dish, reserving 3 tbs of the sauce for basting later. Once tempeh has finished steaming, add to the sauce and let marinate, covered, for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the garnishes. Toss together daikon, vinegar and sugar until well combined and keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. Toss together cucumber and salt and refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.
4. When ready to cook, heat a grill or grill pan to medium high heat, and cook tempeh 3-5 minutes on each side. 
5. When tempeh is almost done, split buns, spread each half with mayonnaise and toast on the grill until golden. Layer tempeh, garnishes, and more mayo if desired on the buns and serve immediately.

Notes:

• These sandwiches can easily be made vegan. Substitute agave in the sauce (use a little less and taste for sweetness) and use vegan mayonnaise.

Pumpkin Custard French Toast

Brunch truly is one of life's great pleasures, isn't it? It promises so many things: a leisurely meal, permission to sleep late, booze at breakfast, and a menu pulling from the best of both breakfast and lunch. What's not to love?

Well, there is the matter of the WAIT. Here in San Francisco (and in many other places, I suspect), all of the above can be had, but usually only after paying a toll of one to two hours of waiting impatiently and hungrily for your turn at a table. It's no wonder brunch tends to last so long and end so tipsily. We've earned every second and every mimosa. And while I do enjoy the occasional weekend brunch, it's a pretty rare event for me, because I am someone who does not respond well to hunger and standing makes me cranky. The wait is tolerable if there is a bar and there are seats to wait in at said bar, but otherwise, I am that person pointedly staring at other's empty plates or, if I am waiting outside, fighting the urge to press myself up against the plate glass window and free up a table by being a total creeper (has anyone tried this? Does it work?).

Unlike people, food doesn't usually do anything faster when you stare at it, but it sure smells good. So instead of going out, I usually opt for breakfast at home where I can press myself up against the glass window of my own oven*. And just because you aren't eating at a certain place doesn't mean you can't enjoy their food!  Another great thing about brunch is that it is mostly breakfast food, which, let's be honest, no one has really reinvented the wheel on in about 100 years. It's also almost all pretty simple to cook, so there is no reason not to make it yourself.

*Not recommended.

For this edition of brunching at home, I tried to replicate one of my favorite San Francisco brunch dishes, the custard french toast at Nopa. There, two giant slabs of french toast will arrive to your table, adorned with melting butter and seasonal fruit, and when you first cut into it a warm, dreamy river of custard will ooze out. It's french toast to the max. The rest of the city seems to agree, because unless you plan weeks in advance, this french toast will only be yours after about 2 hours of waiting. Fortunately,  the recipe isn't a secret. I found it easily online and set to work trying it out, with my own addition of pumpkin since its seems to be the law this time of year. 

So about this recipe. One glance will tell you that you are in for a decadent treat. It uses almost a dozen eggs, a pint of cream, whole milk, and butter, and an entire loaf of bread. Oof. This is why you don't want to peek under the hood when it comes to restaurant recipes. But, after making the recipe, I felt that half of the cream and eggs were completely unnecessary, since I had an entire baking dish full of the mixture after making my batch of french toast. And while I'm looking forward to the pumpkin crepes I managed to spin off, it seemed a bit excessive. So the second time I made it, I cut the custard by half and I noticed no difference in the final result. I also wonder if they are baking the french toast for less time in the restaurant, since my custard was completely cooked and no oozing occurred. Even so, this is probably the best french toast I've ever made. It takes a little more attention and effort, but the reward is worth it. 

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Pumpkin Custard French Toast Recipe

Inspired by nopa and adapted from 7x7. I cut the custard amount in half, and added the pumpkin puree.

1 can pumpkin puree (or pumpkin butter, see notes)
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
6 slices bread, 1-1 1/2 inches thick (sourdough, brioche, or other, see notes)
5 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
splash of vanilla extract
butter

1. Reduce the pumpkin puree. In a small sauce pan over medium low heat, stir together the pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture has reduced and darkened considerably, about 40-45 minutes. Let cool.

2. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Once pumpkin puree has cooled, whisk together eggs and sugar until well combined, then add salt, cream, milk and vanilla. Whisk in half of the pumpkin puree until combined.

3. Place bread slices in a large baking dish and pour the custard over the slices, flipping them a few times to make sure each side is fully coated. Let bread sit in the custard mixture for 10 minutes, then carefully flip each slice and let sit for another 10 minutes. Transfer slices to a wire rack set over a cookie sheet to drain, and heat an oven-safe, non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat.

4. Melt some butter in the hot pan, then place a few slices of the bread in the hot pan and let cook until beginning to brown on one side (make sure not to crowd the pan). Flip the slices over to the non-browned side and move the skillet to the hot oven and bake for 4 minutes.

5. Remove the pan from the oven, flip the slices, and bake for another 4 minutes.

6. Remove the pan again from the oven and flip one more time, baking for another 4 minutes.

7. Repeat the process with the remaining slices, keeping cooked slices covered to stay warm (if you need to, all slices can be placed on a cookie sheet and rewarmed in the oven just before serving).

8. Serve warm with maple syrup or other toppings of your choice.

Notes:

• Cooking the pumpkin puree with the sugar and spices is a method I lifted from Flour Bakery, and it essentially gives you a lightly sweetened pumpkin butter, which means the extra left over can be used just that way (or in another batch of french toast!). If you don't want to do this step, you can substitute 2/3 cup store-bought pumpkin butter, but you may need to reduce the sugar in the custard mixture to compensate for the sweeter pumpkin butter.

• I've made this recipe with both sourdough and brioche, and both were delicious, so use whatever bread you wish. The sourdough is denser and therefore did not soak up as much custard, but the end result was a little chewier, which I liked. Brioche will definitely soak up all of the custard and give you a richer, more delicate result.