Monday 1 April 2013

April Fool's: Gilded Quail's Testicle Pate

Title changed since the morning of the first of April 2013... we're so naughty!




These are a real delicacy and if you are fortunate enough to have a local butcher who you can persuade to only sell you male quail then you are in luck. You can use the quail for the main meal and serve these as a decadent amuse bouche. It is such a delicacy that I usually only serve about half a teaspoon of pate per guest on a tiny tartine with some edible gold dusted over the top of it for good measure.

I know that in England there can be quite a taboo around eating animal testicles but in many other parts of the world they are a delicacy, often celebrated for mystical fertility powers or used as an aphrodisiac. I doubt that there is much to that, other than some primitive logic, but I feel that if it is edible, why not use every part of the animal. This recipe is really simple but a delicacy since the testicles are rather small and hard to get hold of.



Ingredients (serves 3)
2 quails testicles per guest (6 here)
a teaspoon of butter
½ a shallot, finely chopped
½ a glove of garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper
Parsley to garnish
Gold dust to garnish
A single thin slice of white bread

In a small pan, fry the shallot and garlic until soft. Add the testicles and cook, stirring for 2 minutes, till tender. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and crush everything together and then pass through a sieve.

Cut your toast into triangles about 3cm x 3cm, lightly toast. Spoon a touch of the pate onto the toast, garnish with a single leaf of parsley and a sprinkling of gold, and serve.



This was of course an April Fool's 
brought to you by Flo and Elle.