Crispy Poached Quail Eggs with Lardons

This is an inspired bite of food. It's bacon and eggs, with the volume turned up (as Mrs. Garten would say). I first saw a version of this dish about a year ago. Fine Cooking had an article on Eggs Benedict that offered a classic recipe and one that was remixed with a poached egg coated in English muffin crumbs and deep fried. It looked intriguing. Recently, one of my favorite new spots in Charlottesville, Brookville, started featuring a crispy egg salad that looks quite like that Fine Cooking recipe. I knew I had to finally try to make it myself, in miniature form, no less.

The natural place to start is with the eggs. Regular chicken eggs would not work for a bite-sized portion, so I opted for quail eggs instead. I boiled water, added in a splash or two of vinegar, and poached each tiny quail egg for about a minute (just until the white was set). Then I cooled the eggs in cold water and set up a dredging station (seasoned flour, beaten egg, and panko) and heated up some light oil. I also fried up bacon that I cut into lardons and let that drain a bit on paper towels.

When ready to plate, I quickly fried the eggs just until they were golden brown (very little time) and then put them on a spoon with a bit of bacon and fennel fronds. As guests bit into the egg, the yolk oozed open marrying with the salty bacon. It was a Happy Easter indeed.

Crispy Poached Quail Eggs with Lardons (inspired by Fine Cooking and Brookville)
A dozen quail eggs
2 Tablespoons of white vinegar
3/4 cup flour
1 egg
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
Oil, for frying
3 strips of bacon, cut into lardons and cooked
Fennel fronds or chives, for garnish
Salt and pepper

Over high heat boil water in a small saucepan. Add the vinegar. Crack each quail egg and poach for about one minute, or until egg white is set. Place a small bowl of cold water nearby. Transfer poached eggs to the cold water with a slotted spoon.
After you have poached all of the eggs, place flour in one bowl and season liberally with salt and pepper, place beaten egg in another bowl, and place panko in a third bowl and season with salt. Remove each egg from the cold water, dredge in flour, egg, and then panko. Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan of oil over medium-high heat. Fry the eggs in the oil just until they are golden brown.
Place each egg in a porcelain spoon, top with bacon, and garnish with chopped fennel fronds.