bitty benedict

good morning! this is part II of the stuffed-grape dinner - the day i made all this food was pretty slow at work, and i spent much of the day dreaming about different teeny-tiny courses i could make for one regular-sized meal. i ended up making mini quiches (about 3 inches each,) bite-sized caprese salads, and quail eggs benedicts. in case i wasn't getting every single dish in my kitchen dirty, i made three different types of benedicts - a sampler, if you will.






first thing first - i had to make biscuits for the benedicts. i thought about buying brioche and just cutting out little circles, but i DID have all that buttermilk in the fridge from my morel butter, so i just went ahead and made buttermilk biscuits from scratch. much tastier that way, anyhow! i made a full batch, rolled out about 1/4 of it to get the biscuits i needed, and then wrapped the rest tightly and saved it (it ended up being the base of some biscuits and gravy over fourth of july weekend, so none went to waste!)




baby biscuits, brushed with cream.

next up i sauteed the mushrooms, cut & fried the ham, and sliced some smoked salmon and set them aside. time for hollandaise - i used my hollandaise for one recipe. at the same time, i boiled a small pot of water and poached 6 quail eggs. this was easier than i expected - really the same as poaching chicken eggs: drop 'em carefully in boiling water, wait for them to float to the top, scoop 'em up and let them rest for a second in a bowl.

i'm realizing now i didn't really provide much for scale - but the mushroom is a baby bella, abbout the size of a dollar coin, and covers the biscuit, if that gives you an idea.

i dressed them all differently - fresh cracked pepper on the mushroom benedict, a dash of smokey paprika on the classic ham, and some little tomato chicken juice caviars on the smoked salmon. that's right - too cheap to spring for caviar, i created some in my kitchen with a little molecular magic.



the caprese salads were easy - just buy the smallest mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes, and dress them with the smallest basil leaf you can find. salt, pepper, and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic. these were delicious (of course - not many salads can beat a caprese, in my book) and surprisingly elegant - i think at my next dinner party i'll serve these as appetizers, with cute toothpicks holding them together.





and that's it! dinner was absolutely delicious, but our friends surprised us by coming over with gifts of beer and cheese and we ended up getting kinda drunk - mini dinner is not enough when up against surprise friend-beer time.





too small, perhaps, but bite-sized and delicious. i'll definitely make these again - just with less beer next time.

i hope you had a good breakfast, and have a lovely day -

xo audrey

little angel, little devils

hello everyone! i let my weekend sneak into this week and am playing a bit of catch up - sam and i were in california this past weekend for my grandma's funeral. . . and to meet my nephew, pete! pretty amazing the way the circle of life lassos you sometimes. i think everyone in my family found quite a bit of comfort in this newest member of our family - he is such a cutie pie, and so patient with a grabby family passing him around. i snapped a few photos of him just before we left (unfortunately, after i'd slept on my updo and right before i got on an airplane.)




in truth, i have always kept my distance from babies, especially little ones. of course i ooh and awww when i see them, but i am so clumsy and inexperienced with them it seems best to stay away. well, i can honestly say that i don't have the baby bug myself, but i am one enthusiastic aunt. or as emily would like me to call myself, tante audrey.

and to go along with this little cutie, i made mini deviled eggs today! we'd picked up some quail eggs a week or two ago, and they were nearing their expiration date - so i decided to whip up some deviled eggs with them to see how they turn out. i like deviled eggs in full size, but more than one bite is just too much of them for me. these babies are dangerously perfect - about the size of a popcorn kernel, and with soooo much more flavor than a regular chicken egg. i highly recommend them.



need - 12 quail eggs
about 2 - 3 T mayonnaise (i used about 1 T mayo and 2 T artichoke garlic cream, a spread that i needed to use up in the fridge.)
1/2 t dry mustard
1 t paprika, plus more for sprinkling
sea salt

i highly recommend this paprika. my sister got me a bunch of spices for christmas (and i immediately broke into them like an impatient 7 year old) and the paprika she included is soooo good - lots of flavor, very smokey and earthy and amazing. far better than any i've gotten at a grocery store.

so - put the eggs in a pot with half vinegar (any kind - i used white wine) and half water. (the vinegar helps the shell peel off a bit easier.) once the water boils, time 5 minutes, then take the eggs out and put them in an ice bath; once cool, peel, slice in half, and empty the yolks into a bowl. add the above ingredients (reserve some salt to sprinkle atop) and mix until smooth; it helps if you have a little piping bag, since the whites are so tiny and delicate. pipe into the shells, sprinkle with paprika and salt, and bam! a great holiday party appetizer - adorable and packed full of flavor. and vegetarian!

xo audrey