Deviled Quail Eggs with Bacon & Thyme

Preparation

1. Place chicken eggs in a large saucepan. Cover them with cool water by 1 inch. Slowly bring water to a boil over medium heat; when the water has reached a boil, cover and remove from heat. Let sit 12 minutes. Transfer eggs to a colander; place under cool running water to stop the cooking. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a small skillet over medium heat until cooked through and crisped. Drain on paper towels. Finely chop and set aside.
3. Prepare an ice water bath. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring about 4 inches of salted water to a boil. Carefully add the quail eggs to the boiling water and cook for 1-1/2 minutes. Remove to the ice bath to chill.
4. Once cooled, carefully peel all of the eggs and cut each in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks from the egg halves and transfer them to a food processor fitted with a steel blade, reserving the whites of the quail eggs and discarding the whites of the chicken eggs (or saving them for another use).
5. Add the mayonnaise, crème fraîche and bacon fat. Process the mixture to a fine paste. Add the chopped bacon (reserving 30 small pieces for garnish later). Pulse until well combined. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
6. Transfer the deviled yolk mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a smallish tip. Pipe the filling into the quail egg white halves. Transfer to your serving platter then garnish each with a reserved piece of bacon and thyme leaf. Serve immediately, or cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.