For some cooks, deviled eggs require no recipe. Just cook the eggs, peel, cut in half, mash the yolks with your family’s secret mixture (often mayonnaise, a little mustard, a dab of pickle relish, a bit of finely minced onion or celery), fill the whites and sprinkle on some paprika, chill and serve in Grandma’s deviled egg platter.
But there’s a whole world of deviled and stuffed egg possibilities beyond the basic mixture we just described.
In her book D’Lish Deviled Eggs: A Collection of Recipes From Creative to Classics (Andrews McMeel, 2013), Kathy Casey writes that stuffed eggs in some fashion or another have been around since man first domesticated fowl sometime around 6000 B.C. The writings of Apicius, the world’s first cookbook author, include descriptions of “eggs stuffed with pine nuts, lovage, pepper and honey.”
The name “deviled” came about in the late 18th century, when the English used the term to describe any food seasoned with fiery spices, Casey writes.
We recently chatted with Debbie Moose, author of Deviled Eggs: 50 Recipes From Simple to Sassy (Harvard Commons, 2004), about the iconic potluck favorite.
“They’re pretty and easy. And always the first to go,” Moose says.
In testing recipes for the book, Moose says she hard-cooked at least 350 eggs, and despite the prevalence of methods and techniques shared with her by fans of the book - she has even heard of people trying to cook them in the oven - her method, from the American Egg Board, is “the one that works.”
Place the eggs in a pot large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil, cover, remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes.
Then transfer the eggs to an ice bath or under cool running water to stop the cooking process.
The shock of cold water not only stops the cooking, it will help make peeling easier, as the sudden cold will cause the cooked white to shrink away from the shell.
Moose says the telltale way to know whether you’ve overcooked the eggs is a “nasty green” ring around the yolk. Overcooking not only discolors the yolk, it can make it harder to blend the yolk smoothly with the other filling ingredients, Moose says.
Overcooking also results in a tough, rubbery white.
The type egg used - white-shelled, brown shelled, gray-shelled or even speckled-shelled - makes no difference in flavor. All will produce delicious deviled eggs. But if you get your eggs straight from the source (either your own hens, a neighbor, or the farmers market), let the eggs “age” for a few days before trying to hard-cook them. The fresher the egg, the more difficult (and in some cases downright impossible) it will be to peel.
“It’s not a failing of you as a person or cook,” Moose says. “It’s a simple matter of egg anatomy.”
Freshly laid eggs don’t contain much, if any, air. And air is essential for peeling.
“It’s best to take those wonderful fresh eggs, refrigerate them for four to five days, maybe a week, to form large enough of an air pocket to get the shell off,” Moose says.
If you don’t have time for that method, our friendly office egg farmer suggests cooking farm-fresh eggs by steaming them in a double-boiler.
Moose also suggests starting on the big end when peeling the eggs.
“My mother always told me if you shook every egg before putting it in the water to cook, it would center the yolk in the shell,” Moose says. “This is a complete fallacy. She was obviously pulling my leg.”
So what does work for keeping those pesky, transient yolks in place? Both Moose and Casey suggest storing the eggs in their carton turned on its side overnight or for 24 hours before cooking to help center the yolk in the egg, although Moose notes this is strictly for presentation.
Speaking of presentation, if you don’t own a deviled egg platter, Moose suggests lining a large platter with curly leaf parsley to create a bed for the eggs. Long narrow olive dishes also work well for serving pieces, she says.
We put Moose’s tips to test in the following recipes with “eggcellent” results.
Chili-Pecan-Bacon-
Topped Classic Deviled Eggs 6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 tablespoons sour cream OR
plain yogurt ½ teaspoon white vinegar ½ teaspoon spicy brown
mustard ½ teaspoon granulated sugar Salt and ground black pepper Chili Pecan Bacon (recipe
follows)Cut eggs in half and arrange whites on a serving platter.
Place the yolks in a medium bowl and mash well. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, mustard and sugar and mix until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Fill whites with mixture. Top each egg with a bit of crumbled Chili Pecan Bacon (you will have extra bacon left over).
Makes 12 deviled eggs.
Chili Pecan Bacon 6 slices bacon 1 tablespoon granulated sugar ¾ teaspoon chili powder or to
taste Pinch ground red pepper,
optional 2 tablespoons finely chopped
toasted pecans Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a metal rack in the baking sheet.
Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the metal rack.
In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, chili powder and red pepper (if using). Sprinkle mixture over bacon.
Bake 10 minutes. Sprinkle half of the nuts over bacon, turn the bacon slices over, and sprinkle the second side with the remaining nuts. Cook 5 minutes more or until bacon is crisp.
Break bacon into 1-inch pieces.
Bacon recipe adapted from Full Plate: Generous Servings of Ozark Hospitality Recipes from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Fayetteville Moose suggests using a fruit-based hot sauce in these deviled eggs.
The Devil Made Me Do It Deviled Eggs 6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon Dijon-style
mustard 1 ¼ teaspoons fruity hot sauce,
plus more for garnish (see
note) 1 teaspoon curry powder ¼ teaspoon garlic powder Salt and ground black pepper,
to taste
Cut eggs in half and arrange whites on a serving platter.
Mix the mashed yolks, mayonnaise and mustard in a medium bowl until well combined. Stir in the hot sauce, curry and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fill whites with mixture. For extra heat, top each egg with a dab more hot sauce.
Makes 12 deviled eggs.
Note: We couldn’t find a fruity hot sauce at our local market, so we substituted a mixture of our favorite hot sauce and fig jam, blended to taste, with very good results.
Recipe adapted from Deviled Eggs: 50 Recipes From Simple to Sassy by Debbie MooseMoose says these deviled eggs are ideal for serving at a cocktail party. Don’t let the blue cheese scare you off. Moose tells us even people who don’t like blue cheese like this deviled egg.
Blue Devils Deviled Eggs 6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled 2 tablespoons PLUS 2
teaspoons mayonnaise 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons crumbled blue
cheese Salt and ground black pepper,
to taste 3 tablespoons cooked
crumbled bacon Cut eggs in half and arrange whites on a serving platter.
Place the yolks in a medium bowl and mash well. Add the mayonnaise and mustard and mix well. Add the blue cheese and mash until smooth. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper.
Fill the whites with mixture and garnish each egg half with the bacon.
Makes 12 deviled eggs.
Recipe adapted from Deviled Eggs: 50 Recipes From Simple to Sassy by Debbie Moose
Garlic ’n’ Herb Deviled Eggs 12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled 2 tablespoons olive oil ¼ cup whole garlic cloves ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon creme fraiche OR
sour cream 1 tablespoon Dijon-style
mustard ½ teaspoon minced fresh
rosemary 1 teaspoon minced fresh
thyme 1 tablespoon thinly sliced
chives 1 tablespoon minced fresh
shallot ¼ teaspoon salt Ground black pepper 2 tablespoons coarsely
chopped parsley 24 tiny sprigs thyme Cut each egg in half lengthwise. Place whites on a serving platter, cover and refrigerate.
Place yolks in a medium mixing bowl; set aside.
In a small microwave-safebowl, combine the olive oil and garlic. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and puncture it.
Microwave on 100 percent power for 2 minutes or until garlic is tender. Let cool, then drain the garlic. Reserve the oil. Mash the garlic to a smooth paste.
With a fork, mash the egg yolks to a smooth consistency.
Add the mayonnaise, creme fraiche, mashed garlic, reserved oil, mustard, herbs, shallots and salt and mix until smooth.
Season with black pepper to taste.
Spoon or pipe mixture into egg whites. Top each egg with a sprinkle of parsley and a sprig of thyme.
Makes 24 deviled eggs.
Recipe adapted from D’Lish Deviled Eggs: A Collection of Recipes from Creative to Classic by Kathy Casey We’ve long been fans of tahini, a paste made from ground sesame seeds and found on the “natural foods” aisle at many grocery stores. And after tasting these tahini-spiked eggs, tahini became our new favorite secret ingredient.
Tahini Deviled Eggs 12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup plain yogurt 2 tablespoons sesame tahini
(see note) 1 clove garlic, minced 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice ¼ teaspoon salt Minced chives or green onion
tops, for garnish Cut the eggs in half, placing the whites on a platter and the yolks in a medium bowl. Set the platter with the whites aside.
Mash the yolks with a fork to smooth consistency. Add the mayonnaise, yogurt, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and salt and mix until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Spoon or pipe mixture into eggs whites. Sprinkle eggs with minced chives.
Makes 24 deviled eggs.
Note: For added richness, use roasted, salted tahini.
Recipe adapted from D’Lish Deviled Eggs: A Collection of Recipes From Creative to Classic by Kathy Casey
Chipotle Deviled Eggs 6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, or
to taste 2 tablespoon sour cream, or
to taste 1 chipotle pepper in adobo,
pureed 1 clove garlic, minced ¼ teaspoon ground chipotle
powder Pinch salt 1 Fresno chile pepper OR
small red pepper, thinly
sliced 12 fresh cilantro OR parsley
leavesCut the eggs in half, placing the whites on a platter and the yolks in a medium bowl. Set the platter with the whites aside.
Mash the yolks with a fork to smooth consistency. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, pureed chipotle, garlic, chipotle powder and salt and mix until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning and/or mayonnaise and sour cream.
Spoon or pipe mixture into egg whites. Top each with a slice of chile pepper and a cilantro leaf.
Makes 12 deviled eggs.
Food, Pages 31 on 05/22/2013