An elegant dish made from one of South Africa’s most beloved snacks. Biltong consommé with quail eggs is simply bursting with flavours. This lovely consommé is perfect for entertaining and sure to impress your guests.
Biltong consommé with quail eggs
Ingredients
- 1,3kg beef biltong, whole piece
- 2,5 litres water
- 50g coriander seeds, crushed
- 30ml (2 tbsp) juniper berries, crushed
- 30ml (2 tbsp) black peppercorns, crushed
- 30ml (2 tbsp) white peppercorns, crushed
- 100g celery, diced
- 100g shallots, sliced
- 1 head garlic, cut in half
- 6 litres beef stock
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 5 leeks
- 8 quail eggs, poached, to serve
- 4 quail eggs, fried, to serve
- shaved biltong, to serve
- fresh flat-leaf parsley and chives, chopped, to serve
Instructions
To make the consommé, cut a piece of biltong weighing approximately 850g. Place this in the water and bring to the boil. Remove the biltong and cool. Discard the liquid.
In a separate pan on moderate heat, dry-fry the spices for a minute. Add the celery, shallots and garlic and sweat for a few minutes without allowing anything to go brown.
In a food processor, blitz a third of the boiled biltong until powdery. Add this to the spice mixture in the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the beef stock and simmer for approximately 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice the remaining biltong into 1cm thick strips. Remove the consommé from the heat, add the sliced biltong and leave to infuse overnight.
Next day, strain the consommé. Blitz the egg whites, carrot, onion and leeks in a food processor and add to the cold consommé. Place on the stove and slowly bring to a simmer. The egg whites will set, rise to the surface and form a crust. Break a hole in the crust and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Very carefully ladle the clear stock through a fine sieve or clean cloth to strain.
Place 2 poached quail eggs, 1 fried quail egg, some shaved biltong, snipped chives and parsley leaves in each bowl. Pour over the consommé and serve.
Notes
To drink: Douglas Green Extra Dry Sherry. For a twist, add a dash of Angostura Bitters and a slice of orange.
