Quail Eggs

Credit: Michael Kraus

I use quail eggs instead of regular old chicken eggs whenever I can. Because they're so small—about the size of a walnut—they can add an accent to a dish without overwhelming it, and they have a subtler taste. You can soft-boil a couple of quail eggs to top a salad niçoise, or you can fry them over easy for an elegant steak-and-eggs breakfast. And deviled quail eggs make adorable canapés. I've even eaten them raw, cracked over sea urchin sushi. In this case, smaller is better. —Megan Wyatt, Bainbridge Island, Washington