Deviled Eggs

 

Deviled Eggs
From Ezra Pound Cake 

 

Next up from the book club menu is deviled eggs.  I love deviled eggs, but have never attempted making them myself before.  And I have to admit, I may have over committed myself on this one.  Deviled eggs pretty much have to be made right before the party, since the yolk center gets kind of crusty if it sits around too long.  This isn't the end of the world for, say, a Saturday party, but for a Tuesday at 7pm shindig...boy was I like a chicken with my head cut off.  I had boiled the eggs before leaving in the morning, but when I got home at 6 I still had to peel them, scoop them, blend up the filling, and re-fill them.  This is normally where my sous chef/husband comes into play, but as I mentioned in my Salted Toffee Squares post, he had wisely fled town before book club.  I had the best intentions to pipe the filling back into the eggs like the lovely Rebecca Crump did...but at 6:45 that really wasn't in the cards.  So spoon plopping it was.  Actually, with a sprinkling of chives I don't think they looked too shabby after all.

 

Ingredients

• 12 large eggs, preferably not too fresh, for easier peeling
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I used the canola kind)
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp cayanne pepper
• coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped chives, plus more for garnish

Preparation

1. Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and fill with enough water to cover the eggs by about 2 inches.
2. Bring pot to a gentle boil, then immediately remove from heat and cover.
3. Allow eggs to sit, covered, for about 18 minutes.
4. Place eggs in an ice water bath for about 5-10 minutes.
5. Peel eggs immediately, or place in the fridge for later peeling.  FYI, peeling 12 eggs is a pain.  Eventually I came up with this decent strategy: crack the egg on the top and bottom, and then all around by rolling on the counter.  Start chipping off the shell at the fat end, and make a little chipped off tunnel up to the skinny end.  Then, using the side of your thumb, try pulling off larger sections as you work around the circumference of the egg.
6. Slice eggs in half long ways (hot dog style, if you remember paper folding guidelines from grade school).  Slice little slivers off what will be the bottom of each egg, to help them sit still on the platter.
7. Gently scoop out yolks with a spoon.
8. Using a food processor or blender, combine yolks, mayonnaise, butter, Dijon, cayanne, and salt & pepper taste.  Mix until very smooth and creamy.
9. Add chives and mix just until combined.
10. Using a pastry piping bag or a zip lock baggie with the corner cut off, pipe filling back into egg whites.  Or, if you're me, plop it back in with a spoon...
11. Sprinkle chives over eggs.

Makes 24 egg halves.

Posted in: Appetizers, Eggs