A martini and a gilda – that Basque pintxos staple, bursting with brine – is a wonderful thing. Food writer and cook Alexandra Dudley gives it an unmistakably British twist with the addition of the trusty Brussels sprout for a Christmas canapé with a difference.
Ingredients
For the Pickled Onions:
10 tsp red wine vinegar
10 tsp sherry vinegar
4 tsp caster sugar
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 whole star anise
100g peeled silverskin onions
For the Dressing:
4 tsp Champagne vinegar
2½ tsp honey
3½ tsp English mustard
3½ tsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
For the Brussels Sprouts:
2 tsp butter
For Assembly & Garnish:
6 quail eggs
6 white anchovies
6 Brussels sprouts
6 olive picks
Method
1.
First, make the home-made pickled onions. Bring the red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds and star anise to the boil in a saucepan, dissolving the sugar. Add the onions and poach gently until tender but holding their shape. Chill completely in the liquor and refrigerate.
2.
Next, prepare the honey & mustard dressing. Whisk the Champagne vinegar, honey and mustard until smooth. Slowly whisk in the oil to form a glossy emulsion.
3.
For the Brussel sprouts, blanch in boiling water until just tender, refresh in ice water, drain thoroughly and dry. Coat in butter and roast at 210°C for approximately 10 minutes, until golden. Coat in the honey & mustard dressing and cook for a further 3 minutes, until sticky.
4.
Next, prepare the quail eggs. Boil them for three minutes, then transfer immediately to iced water, chill completely and peel.
5.
To assemble the gilda, thread one of each ingredient onto every pick in the following order: pickled silverskin onion, white anchovy, boiled quail egg, honey mustard roasted sprout.
6.
Serve fresh assembled on top of a chilled gin or vodka martini with a twist.
Author
Alexandra Dudley is a food writer and cook living in London. She is the recipe columnist for Sheerluxe, writer of the bestselling Substack newsletter Come For Supper, and host of the Come For Supper podcast. Her cookbook, Cooking Made Simple, was released in 2026.
