Growing up in the South, my parents' home did not have air conditioning. In the summer of my childhood, on a hot and humid night, we slept with the windows open.  

I clearly remember the strange and comforting natural sounds floating in the heavy night air, and it felt like you could cut it with a knife: a bullfrog in a nearby lake, a pair of owls in the woods "who" each other in our house Behind, the creepy whippoorwills and the melancholy calls of quail, from nest to nest, their unique "bobwhites". 

Recently, during a shopping trip in Publix, I noticed a box of quail eggs on sale. In this way, this column is being produced.  

The container I bought contained 15 eggs from a farm in Manchester, South Carolina. Their website is a treasure trove of information. I learned something: The nutritional value of quail eggs is three to four times that of ordinary eggs, and five times that of iron and potassium.  

Today we will start with the recipe I adapted from their website. 

Baked quail eggs hash brown basket 

½ teaspoon salt plus extra serving 

Fresh chopped chives for garnish 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Wash the potatoes and prick each potato a few times with a fork. Bake the potatoes until they start to soften but not fully cooked, about 20 minutes. Cool for about half an hour. (This can be done a day in advance.) Turn on the oven. 

Grate the half-cooked potatoes with a hand grater; if you prefer, peel them first, although this is not required. Put the grated potatoes, cheese, salt, pepper and butter in a bowl and mix well. 

Spray 12 mini muffin tins with non-stick spray. Use about 2 tablespoons of potato mixture for each mini muffin cup. Press the potato mixture into the muffin cup, dig a well in the middle, and push the potatoes up to the sides of the cup. 

Bake the potato cake "basket" for 20 to 30 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown, the top is at least light golden, and the edges begin to become crispy. Turn on the oven again. Remove the basket from the oven. Carefully beat the quail eggs into a small ramen noodle, then slowly pour the eggs into the basket. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Return the muffin tin to the oven for exactly 5 minutes; you want to cook the whites of the quail eggs, but the yolk is still very thin. Use an offset spatula to place the hash browns on the plate. Sprinkle with salt and chives and eat immediately. 

Quail eggs in a hole 

Most of you will be familiar with the toad in the hole. This is my version! 

6 1/2 inch thick French baguette slices (diagonally sliced) 

2 tablespoons grated white cheddar cheese 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Place the grill in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line the rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a paring knife to cut a 1-inch circle in the center of each baguette slice. Spread butter on both sides of the bread. Place the bread on the baking tray and bake lightly in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Distribute half of the cheese evenly in the bread holes. Beat the eggs into a small mold one at a time. Slowly pour the eggs into each hole. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the bread. Bake until the cheese is melted and the egg white is set, but the yolk is still a little runny. It takes 5 to 7 minutes. Top each with chopped chives and a pinch of sea salt, and serve. 

Instead of poached eggs and English muffins, I chose lightly fried eggs and French bread slices. It turned out delicious! 

6 slices of baguette, cut into 1/4 inch rounds, toasted 

6 slices of ham, fried in a pan until light brown (the diameter of the slices should be the same as the bread) 

Place the sliced ​​ham on the toast. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add vegetable oil. Carefully beat the eggs into the frying pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the egg is set. Using a slotted metal spatula, remove the egg from the frying pan and place it on top of the sliced ​​ham. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Drizzle with hollandaise sauce and serve immediately. 

Put the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and chili in a blender. cover. Pulse 5 or 6 times to mix. Remove the top of the blender (you know, the plastic or glass part is removable, not the entire lid). Turn the mixer to low and slowly pour the melted butter. The sauce will start to thicken. Stop the mixer, scrape the sides and pulse a few more times to mix. 

When cooking eggs, put the sauce in a glass bowl or metal bowl with a pot of simmering water in the bowl. If the sauce is too thick, add about a teaspoon of water and stir. 

Laura Tolbert, also known as Fleur de Lolly, has been sharing recipes, table decoration ideas and suggestions for other gourmets and novices on her blog fleurdelolly.blogspot.com for eight years. Her Alabama White Barbecue Sauce won the Duke Mayonnaise 100th Anniversary National Recipe Contest. She is also a barbecue judge certified by the Kansas City Barbecue Association. You can contact her at facebook.com/fleurde.lolly.5, Instagram and fleurdelolly@yahoo.com.