Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers

These baked quail egg XO sauce appetizers are savory, rich and delicious, super easy to make and they are pretty too! Make two, three or as many as you need! 

When I made homemade XO sauce last year, I was trying to think of creative ways to use it in non-traditional recipes. I just happened to have a couple fresh quail eggs on hand at the time, along with a baguette. This was just one result!

Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers

My husband and I each enjoyed one as a small appetizer and, frankly, wished we had more! Next time I make them, I’ll use a muffin pan and make a few. I suggest you do the same. 

Ingredients

For each appetizer:

Butter or olive oil for greasing a ramekin or muffin pan

1 slice baguette

2 tablespoons XO sauce (homemade from this recipe or store bought)

1 raw quail egg

For garnish: chopped chives

Method

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and grease your ramekins or muffin pan with olive oil or butter.

Cut your baguette in thick slices.

Place one slice of baguette in each ramekin or muffin cup. Top with the XO sauce, spread around to cover the baguette. Make an indentation in the middle to help cradle the yolk.

Carefully cut the top off the quail egg shell.

Tip it out onto the XO sauce.

Bake in your preheated oven for 3-6 minutes, checking at 3 minutes and watching closely until the whites are just set and the yolks reach your desired doneness. 

Sprinkle on the chopped chives for garnish. 

We ate these with small spoons to cut the bread base and scoop. So good! 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 17th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter Q. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the Q recipes below:

• Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers from Food Lust People Love
• Cauliflower, Onion, and Pancetta Quiche from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Fresh Corn Quiche from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Fresh Summer Corn & Zucchini Sausage Quiche from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Jalapeño Popper Quesadillas from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Mughlai Paneer Qorma from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Qabuli Biryani from Sneha’s Recipe
• Quatre Quarts from Culinary Cam
• Queen Elizabeth Cake from A Messy Kitchen
• Western Omelette Quiche from Blogghetti

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink 

D. Coconut Cream Date Caramel 

E. Edamame Summer Salad 

F. Lamb Feta Mint Patties 

G. Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle 

H. Hazelnut Vodka 

I. Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers - this post!

J. Jägersuppe - Hunter's Soup 

K. Easy Chicken Kapama 

L. Easy Lamb Shoulder Roast 

M. Miso Chocolate Cookies 

N. Duck Egg Narjissiya 

O. Marinated Apéro Olives

P. Bacon and Pork Patties 

Q. Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers - this post!

Pin these Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers!

.

Chorizo Cream Cheese Spread

This wonderful chorizo cream cheese spread is a variation of a Canarian traditional almogrote, which is made with aged cheese, garlic and paprika. It is delicious spread on bagels for breakfast or baguette slices as an appetizer.

Almogrote is a traditional spread made from hard cheese, peppers, olive oil and garlic from La Gomera, a small island in the Canary Islands archipelago. It is very popular throughout the Canary Islands. 

I did find recipes for versions made with cream cheese in addition to the requisite hard cheese but I couldn’t find a single recipe that added chorizo. This is probably sacrilege but I really, really wanted to add spicy chorizo to mine. So as not to anger the Gomero gods, I am absolutely not calling this almogrote! 

It is a little spicy from the chorizo, so cheesy and super spreadable. We loved it! P.S. It's also perfect for l'apéro, if you are making a list.

Chorizo Cream Cheese Spread

I used an imported Spanish chorizo labeled extra fort in French. This translates to extra strong but in the case of some food items actually means extra spicy.  (Our favorite spicy French canned sardines are also extra fort!) I bought the chorizo when we were in France because we like spicy things. Substitute your favorite cured chorizo. 

Ingredients

3 ½ oz or 100g spicy cured chorizo (NOT the raw, ground meat variety)

150g cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cloves garlic, grated

3 ½ oz or 100g aged goat or sheep cheese, finely grated

1 teaspoon paprika 

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil 

Few good grinds black pepper

Method

Remove the casing and cut the chorizo into small pieces. 

Process it in a food processor until it is in little bitty bits. Remove it to a bowl large enough to mix the rest of the ingredients in later.

Put the cream cheese and grated garlic in the food processor and process until smooth.

Add the grated aged cheese and the paprika, mixing well. My food processor is small so I added the cheese in two stages so it would all fit.

Scrape the mixture into a bowl with the chopped chorizo. Stir well to combine. 

Drizzle in some olive oil and mix well, until you get a good spreading consistency. You may not need to use all of the oil. 

Add in a few good grinds of black pepper and mix again.

Cover the bowl with cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld and intensify.

Before serving, remove it from the refrigerator and let it warm up a little bit for more flavor and to make spreading easier. 

Spread on your bagels or bread!

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes for National Bagelfest Day which is celebrated annually on July 26th! Many thanks to our host, Mayuri from Mayuri’s Jikoni. Check out the links below. 

• Boursin and Salmon Bagel from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Caprese Bagel from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Chorizo Cream Cheese Spread from Food Lust People Love
• Keto Bagel Sandwich from Sneha's Recipe
• Pretzel Bagels from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• The Bagel Conflict and My Left Coast Bagels from Culinary Cam

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join. 

Pin this Chorizo Cream Cheese Spread!

.

Marinated Apéro Olives

A little spicy and full of flavor from garlic, lemon zest and herbs, these marinated apéro olives are perfect for serving with cocktails, beer and wine.

If you read my post from last Sunday, you saw the inspiration for this recipe in the photo of our shopping when we were in France last month. My husband chose some mixed marinated olives at a local market because when you are in France, you have to have l’apéro, short for l'apéritif - an aperitif, a drink that is meant to spark the appetite - in the evening. 

L'apéro is a daily tradition there and includes getting together for drinks and nibbles with friends and family to unwind at the end of each day, usually taking place between 5-7 p.m. The supermarkets all have generous sections devoted to l’apéro, with cold cuts, sausages, crackers, cheese cubes, olives, pickles and other snacky food. One of my favorite areas of some of the best supermarkets in the world.

Marinated Apéro Olives

I’ve given the amounts of olives I used for this below but you can certainly mix and match more than one type of green and black olives. Use your favorites. My one strong recommendation is to use unpitted olives. They always taste better than already pitted ones. Simply set out a small bowl for the discarded pits when serving.

Ingredients 

1 lb or 450g good quality unpitted green olives 

8 oz or 225g good quality unpitted black olives

2-3 small chili peppers

3 cloves garlic

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 lemon

1 large chili pepper

½ cup or 120ml good quality extra virgin olive oil

Method

Mince the garlic and the small chili peppers and put them in a bowl that will be large enough for all of the olives.

With a sharp knife, pare the zest off of the lemon, taking care to leave the white pith behind as best you can.

Add it to the bowl. Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze the juice from lemon halves into the bowl.

Strip the leaves off of the rosemary and thyme. Chop them roughly.

Slice the large chili pepper and add it to the bowl along with the herbs. Give it all a good stir.

Gently warm the olive oil to about 100°F or 38°C. Pour it in the bowl and leave to infuse and cool for a few minutes. 

Add in the olives and give the whole thing a good stir. 

Leave to marinate for an hour or two unrefrigerated, then store in a glass jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 weeks. I put mine in a container and tossed it around to mix again the next couple of days, when I thought about it. 

Best served at room temperature with drinks of your choice! L'apéro at home! 

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 15th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter O. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the O recipes below:

• Apple Cider Old Fashioned from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• BBQ Deviled Eggs with Crispy Fried Onions from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Gumbo-laya Stew from A Messy Kitchen 
• Marinated Apéro Olives from Food Lust People Love
• Olive Oil-Cured Chevre-Filled Cigarillos from Culinary Cam
• Onion and Olive Oil Focaccia with Sea Salt from Sizzling Tastebuds
• Onion Swirls from Magical Ingredients
• Orange Blueberry Waffles from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Pumpkin Olan from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Rhubarb and Strawberry Baked Oatmeal from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink 

D. Coconut Cream Date Caramel 

E. Edamame Summer Salad 

F. Lamb Feta Mint Patties 

G. Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle 

H. Hazelnut Vodka 

I. Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers - this post!

J. Jägersuppe - Hunter's Soup 

K. Easy Chicken Kapama 

L. Easy Lamb Shoulder Roast 

M. Miso Chocolate Cookies 

N. Duck Egg Narjissiya 

O. Marinated Apéro Olives - this post!

Pin these Marinated Apéro Olives!

.

Fresh Scallop Ceviche

Made with Jersey hand-dived scallops, onion, cilantro and chili peppers, this spicy fresh scallop ceviche is a delicious start to any special meal. Or a light lunch!

Among the best benefits of living on an island is the gorgeous seafood that is available. It may cost more than buying from the freezer section of your supermarket but as a treat, it is so worth it!

As a bonus, hand-dived scallops are more sustainable and eco-friendly. Often supermarket scallops have been harvested by dredging which causes severe ecological harm by dragging heavy metal rakes across the seabed. This method damages fragile habitats (like coral reefs and biogenic reefs), scoops up large amounts of unwanted bycatch (non-target species like crabs and fish.) It also fatally chips or crushes a significant percentage of both harvested and discarded scallops. 

I learned about our scallop divers on a local Facebook group where a family member of the divers posts when she’ll have scallops available for pick up from her home. They are shucked and packed up in one-pound bags, £11 each. When I see her posts, I can’t resist asking her to put my name on at least one bag!

The scallops are so fresh that often I just clean them up and we eat them sliced as sashimi with soy sauce and wasabi paste. Divine! This is the first time I made ceviche with them but it won’t be the last. 

Fresh Scallop Ceviche

For the chili peppers, I used a mix of red and yellow – the ají amarillo is a traditional Peruvian pepper but hard to come by in the rest of the world. I was fortunate to have a friend who was growing them and shared a small plant with me! Use all red if that’s what you’ve got. 

Ingredients

12 fresh scallops (weight with roe 15 oz or 425g)

Juice 3 seedless limes

½ small purple onion (about 60g)

2-4 fresh chili peppers

1 bunch cilantro (about 25g)

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Method

Finely slice the half onion and mince the chili peppers. 

Put them in a non-reactive bowl with the salt and then squeeze the lime juice over them. Leave to macerate while you clean the scallops.

Remove the roe and the tough “foot” from the scallops. I find the best way is just to use your clean fingers to gently separate them. Using a sharp knife, I end up inevitably cutting the scallop by accident.

Discard the “foot” but what you do with the roe is up to you. A lot of people like to pan-fry it with butter and garlic but personally, I’m not a fan of the texture. I have salted and dried it to make bottarga.

Slice the scallops into three circles each. 

Pull the leaves off of the cilantro stems and chop them finely.

Add the scallop rounds to the lime juice bowl and stir gently to combine. 

Try to tuck the scallops down into the juice and mostly under the onions and peppers. 

Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate. Set a timer for 30 minutes.

When the timer rings, gently stir the ceviche making sure that any scallops that were near the top, are now right under.

Add in the chopped cilantro but do not stir yet. 

Just use a spoon to press it down into the lime juice as best you can.

Set a timer for another 30 minutes.

When the time rings, gently stir the cilantro into the mixture. The scallop ceviche is ready to serve!

As you can see, I plated some of mine up in little lettuce leaves, three or four scallop rounds per leaf, making sure to add some of the lovely onions, cilantro and peppers. 

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing ceviche recipes ahead of National Ceviche Day on 28 June. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out the links below.

• Ceviche de Camaron - Shrimp Ceviche from Sneha's Recipe
• Fresh Scallop Ceviche from Food Lust People Love

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin this Fresh Scallop Ceviche!

.