Eric Ripert | Avec Eric

This delicate canapé is a wonderful twist on a classic comfort food, the one-eyed jack, also known as toad in the hole or egg in a basket. In this dish, I use a small quail egg, cooked inside toasted brioche and garnish it with smoked salmon.

I first learned about this dish from one of my mentors, Jean-Louis Palladin. He served these at his restaurant in D.C. when I worked with him back in the late 1980’s. It was served as a luxurious first course with a spoonful of caviar, which was a great starter paired with a chilled glass of champagne.

Begin this dish by preparing the brioche, the wonderful buttery French bread. It is golden in color, enriched with butter and eggs, sweetened with some sugar. It is similar to challah but slightly firmer, giving more structure to the canapés. You will need a loaf of brioche here to make ¼” slices and then cut out small circles for the egg yolk. You can use a small round cookie cutter to make the holes or just use your paring knife to cut away the holes by hand. Place the prepared brioche slices on a foil-lined tray, which has been lightly greased to prevent the egg from sticking.

Quail eggs look exotic with their dark, spotted shells but do not be intimidated. They are very delicious. The yolks are small but they are richer than a chicken egg and have a much deeper yellow color, almost orange. The flavor is concentrated and very creamy. You should cut the top of the shell off very carefully with a small, very sharp paring knife, and then pour the egg out into your hands, using your fingers to separate the yolk. Be careful that the yolk does not break. Then, simply transfer the yolk into the hole of each piece of brioche.

It is important to make sure your toaster oven is pre-heated, so the bread gets toasted but the yolk does not overcook - the yolk should be soft and warm. I add the salmon after to maintain its moist texture and rich flavor. (when smoked salmon is cooked, it tends to become too salty and dry) You can create a little more elegance to this canapé by rolling the salmon pieces rather than laying it flat and adding a small snip of chive. They will both add a bit of color and style to the dish with very little effort. An old classic made stylish and modern.