Harbison Deviled Tea Eggs in Kataifi Nests with Pickled Lotus Root

►DEVILED EGGS: Steep Lapsang Souchong in hot water for 5 minutes, then cool. Remove tea bags. Add soy, mirin, and rice wine vinegar to tea and mix. Set marinade aside.

►Bring a 4-quart pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath. Gently lower quail eggs into boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Remove eggs and immediately submerge in an ice bath. When cool, peel eggs. Add peeled eggs to marinade and refrigerate overnight.

►Remove eggs from marinade. Cut eggs in half and transfer yolks to a bowl. Place whites on a sheet pan or other large, flat surface. Set aside.

►Scoop paste of Harbison into a food processor and add cooked yolks. Pulse until smooth and creamy. Using a piping bag or a plastic bag with a corner snipped off, fill egg whites with the Harbison-yolk mixture. Garnish with tobiko.

► KATAIFI NESTS: Heat oven to 325°F. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add paprika and whisk to combine. Remove from heat and pour over kataifi. Cool slightly.

►Mix with your hands in a pulling and folding motion in order to separate strands and coat with butter mixture. Place about a handful of the kataifi mixture into the cups of a mini muffin tin to form nests. Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Remove muffin tin from oven and cool nests inside the tin.

►PICKLED LOTUS: Toss scallions and lotus root together in a bowl with salt and ice. Let sit for 1 hour.

►Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Drain lotus root and add to boiling liquid. Return to a boil, then remove from heat. Let pickled lotus root sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature.

►TO ASSEMBLE: Pipe a bit of the egg yolk-Harbison mixture into each nest, then place 2 egg halves on top. Serve with a pickled lotus slice.