After I’d asked for and duly unwrapped a birthday present copy of Thomas Keller’s ‘French Laundry Cookbook’ this was the recipe which I decided to make first. It’s one tasty mouthful which I like to serve as a canapé or amuse bouche.
Mr. Keller runs his magnificent restaurant in California. Among many other claims to fame, he was invited to elaborate his version of 'confit byaldi' which is presented to the demanding restaurant critic, Anton Ego, in the classic animated film, "Ratatouille".
Buy it... and look for 'Soft Poached Quail Eggs with Applewood-Smoked Bacon'
As luck would have it, we are just down the road from a lovely lady who rears quail and sells their eggs.
The most demanding preparation here is to cut the leek, turnip and carrot vegetable garnish into brunoise. I usually get dice between 2 and 3 mm (any smaller and the micro-fine motor skills needed start cramping my poor thumb tendons) I always make more than needed and find that the excess will freeze nicely for next time.
Next task... and, yes, it’s a bit fiddly slicing the tops off titchy quail eggs but, once done, they can be put into a bed of salt to stop tipping - they get too stubby to retrieve from their carton by this stage.
I use a stockpot with barely simmering water to boil the eggs. If you first swirl the liquid they will gather more of the white around them as they sink through a good nine inches of water. Not much more than a minute or the time it takes them to float to the surface will usually see them ready for rescue with a slotted spoon while they still have a runny centre. Straight into iced water now to stop the cooking. You can see a jar of them ready to store in the fridge where they will keep for a couple of days at least.
Choose your favourite bacon to chop and fry as crunchy crumbs (I’ll let you know about my supply from our wonderful local butcher in another post).
You can make Thomas Keller’s recommended ‘beurre monté’ but I tend to shortcut to whole butter to reheat the eggs in a pan. Warm the brunoise along with them. Then it's one egg into warmed spoons with its vegetables and a little of the buttery sauce. Sprinkle some crispy bacon pieces, twist a small grind of pepper over and offer them to your rather lucky guests.
This is a slightly intricate but not too demanding way to serve basic ingredients. The magic is in the miniature presentation, the terrific flavour and the huge appreciation which you can smugly accept before everyone asks for another!
Bacon, Brunoise and Butter Sauce finish these off... before you finish them off, of course!
Is it too early for this sort of post? I've made no plans, written no lists or sourced any ingredients for the forthcoming celebrations but I am mentally prepared and know exactly where to find my notes and menus from many previous years. I've helped (interfered) and cheekily taken over much of the Christmas food duties from my very talented wife over time. Working in the cooler winter kitchen can be so rewarding; I reckon it's worth starting to share what I've found it possible to achieve in case I can inspire anyone to add something to their own repertoire (with enough time to try it).
Here's something which I won't be able to escape in the next few weeks... family and friends expect to see my marzipan fruits on offer in our festive home and hope for at least a small bag to take away after a visit.
I've always loved these sweet, nutty temptations but commercial offerings are so darned expensive. Meanness became a good reason to explore ways of producing them at home! I started using the two varieties of supermarket marzipan, natural and yellow, and have continued to do so. In early years I painted liquid food colouring onto the hand-shaped fruits. I stick to that but have started to knead colouring into each type to create a more appropriate centre after biting (for those who don't just pop the thing in whole!)
'Plums', 'Strawberries' and 'Apples' on the way
The liquid colour does make for a looser mix and I really am tempted to use paste colours this year. I've never used moulds, relying on my podgy fingers to roll, press and pinch, and the occasional touch from a cocktail stick or spoon handle seems to provide enough mildly convincing detail.
The fruits are then given a paint job with the same liquid colour. I've varied the palette over the years but if you simply add a highlight here and there it's quite enough. Bear in mind that people will politely compliment you on your efforts before making them disappear as quickly as possible!
In the painter's studio
At various stages my work can be found 'resting' on trays covered with greaseproof paper. This is needed to allow a bit of drying out time - between kneading, shaping, colouring and painting. I'll be drying out too after Christmas but I'll probably dispense with the tray and greaseproof for that one!
All that's needed now is a reasonably classy Christmas card box and a gaudy paper napkin... and a safe place to hide some reserve stocks to replenish supplies. Before they are eaten, these provide lovely jewels of colour around the house.
These will have about the same lifespan as a damselfly
A little nonsense here... but it shouldn't take too much of your time.
Earlier this year I visited the Musée des beaux-arts in Orléans. It has an impressive collection with paintings stacked up three-high in some rooms so you don't have to use up shoe leather unnecessarily.
I studied for a degree in History of Art so I should reassure you that I did allow much of the creativity to impress itself on me. However, my abiding memory is standing in front of this work by Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez.
The apostle Saint Thomas looks to have all the weight of doubt (and a very heavy cloak!) upon him. I say that now but my immediate thoughts were elsewhere. You should know that my life has been enriched by playing and watching the game of Lawn Tennis. Some of you will already see where I'm going with this. Let's check if your thoughts are the same as mine...
Exactly! It's as if Diego was a good friend of Mr. Murray in a yet to be discovered alternative universe. The same model is used in other Velazquez paintings but I don't think Andy can sue because my understanding is that copyright doesn't last quite that long.
This month included a trip to the re-vamped Ashmolean in Oxford with tickets for the Tutankhamun and the Embroidery exhibitions (I'm a cultured vulture!) In the main galleries this fella popped up at head height on a plinth... one Cosimo de' Medici in rather firm-jawed Florentine magnificence. As you scroll down you will be treated to a further revelation which confirms my growing suspicion that I need to get out more often.
OK, you can relax now - David Ferrer is the final suggestion for inclusion in my 'Tennis player look-alikes in the World of Art' folder. Of course, if I do start to get out more often I'll eventually come across another candidate who doubles up. If you find one first do let me know!
In which we find out how and why I’m writing any of this.
What do two loving sons give their father for his sixty-third birthday? Let’s cast aside that he already has more than anyone could rightfully expect…
Small but perfectly formed
James and Jonathan enter bearing a cushion which they offer to me. It supports a discarded sweet paper. No, wait - if that’s a sweet paper it’s been given a lot more respect than just careful placement in a bin! Celebratory drinks are still a few hours away so my fumbling fingers cope reasonably well with the challenge of freeing the tiny, tightly-rolled scroll from its presentation ribbon.
Sweet!
And there it is… thanks to my sons’ efforts and ingenuity I have my very own domain, funded until my next birthday! Jemma's part in this must be gratefully acknowledged here since she also contributed (The Griffiths family are strangely fond of the affricate/dʒ/ but I can assure you that James chose the love of his life for much more than her initial phoneme!)
It takes a while to realise the implications of this. I have already shocked and offended hundreds of innocent people on Facebook. Why not take on the new mantle of blogger, blagger and silly bugger until everyone begs me not to pay for renewed hosting when the year is up!
Nothing epic or biblical in the great scheme of things but I'm guessing that this has the potential to carve large chunks out of the pumpkin which time has given me.
I will, doubtless, continue to thank my sons for their super-crazy gift but I will also attempt to apologise now and again to anyone else reading this for the absurd licence they have given me.
