STARTERS: Your family and friends will be delighted by this unusual but quite delightful first course to the meal.

QUAIL EGGS ON A NEST:

4 large flat Portobello mushrooms, stalks removed                 

12 cooked & peeled quail eggs****

½ clove garlic                                                             

3 bacon rashers, cut into small strips

5 tsp. white wine vinegar                                            

4 tbsp. cooking oil + 2 tbsp. butter

2 tsp. snipped chives                                                  

salt and pepper 

curly endive leaves to garnish

Wash and dry endive and arrange on serving platter.

In a large non-stick pan, melt butter in 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat and heat until hot. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes until just tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place mushrooms, with open sides up, on top of endive. 

Add remaining oil to pan and cook quail eggs, in 4 batches, until edges on eggs are crisp. Salt and pepper lightly. Carefully remove and place them, 3 eggs on one mushroom cap.

Add bacon to pan and cook over high heat until crisp. Scatter bacon bits on top of egg mixture on serving plate.  Add vinegar to hot pan and deglaze pan, scraping up all the brown bits.  

Pour hot dressing over the endives and mushroom “nests” and sprinkle them with chives.  Serve immediately.

****Quail eggs are available at oriental supermarket. Boil them for 2.5 minutes to perfection****.