Asparagus with quail eggs

Asparagus with quail eggs is a delicious cold dish that plays on the synergy between asparagus and eggs – in this case quail eggs.  It can be served as a starter or as a supper dish.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 11 Mins

Total Time: ½ Hr

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

500 gms          Asparagus  - prepared

8                    Quails' eggs

1 hearts           Lettuce  - chopped   

For the sauce

1                    Egg  - hard-boiled    

1 tbs               Olive oil    

5                    Olives  - green, pitted and finely chopped 

½ tbs             Wine  - white          

½ tbs             Vinegar  - white wine 

                      Pepper      

                      Salt          

3 tbs               Water       

½ tbs             Parsley  - chopped    

½ tbs             Marjoram  - chopped 

Method

To prepare the sauce…

Shell the hard-boiled egg, cut it into two, take out the yolk and to put it in a bowl.  Add the oil, olives, wine and vinegar.  Salt and pepper.  Pour in the water and whisk to obtain a homogeneous mixture.  Strew with parsley and marjoram and reserve the sauce.

To cook the asparagus…

Cut the asparagus tips to the same length.

Bring a pan of salt water to the boil, put in the asparagus and cook covered for 7 minutes.  Take out the asparagus, drain it on to absorbing paper and let it cool.

To prepare the quail eggs…

Put the quail eggs in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook them for 4 minutes.   Plunge them into cold water to cool them and stop the cooking.  When they are cold, shell them and cut each of them into two lengthwise.

To assemble the dish…

Lay out the eggs on a bed of lettuce in the centre of a dish.  Cut the asparagus spears into two lengthways and arrange them around the eggs.  Pour on the sauce and serve.

Wine recommendations

Needs an aromatic white wine.

Conventional

     Muscat d'Alsace

Interesting

     Entre-deux-Mers

     Sancerre

     Sauvignon de Touraine