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Deviled Eggs |
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Ever since I can remember, we've had deviled eggs at
every holiday or major celebration dinner in my family.
They make the holiday, so
it was my greatest honor to get my first married dinner assignment: bring
the eggs! On the big day?
Disaster. I had three dozen
boiled eggs sitting in a pot, and those peels were
not coming off.
I ended up with a pile of peels stuck to egg chunks.
I cried a little. So here are the results of the last ten years of my
egg study: Only devil
fresh eggs. The peel
comes off and no bystanders get hurt.
I don't want to endorse a store, but I have found that Wal-Mart's
eggs peel the easiest. It
doesn't make sense, but it's the truth. You can also test your eggs by dropping them in
water. If they are fresh, they
should
sink.
Spoiled eggs
float, and then there are various stages of floating and sinking
as the eggs age. Eggs that
totally sink are about 3 to 6 days old, and if it floats at an angle, it is
more than a week old but may still peel well.
One last tip:
Don't agree to devil three dozen eggs, even if the eggs are fresh.
Think: hours. |
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Pour cold water over 8 eggs, add some salt, and bring
to a boil. Turn the heat off,
cover, and let steam for 15 minutes.
This cooks the eggs gently and keeps the yolks from turning grey. |
Run cold water over the
eggs and peel immediately. The
longer they sit, the harder they are to peel. |
Peel eggs from the
larger end and work down to the narrow end. |
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8 ggs 1/4 C, plus 2T mayo 1/2 t mustard Salt and pepper 1 t Sweet pickle relish (optional) |
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| Yep. You read that
right. There aren’t any secret
ingredients here, but that's the secret.
Fancy deviled eggs never match up to the basic. I don't mess with
tradition. (Well, I've tried,
but it's a waste of time.) |
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| Using a fork, crumble
the yolks, then sprinkle with salt and pepper (somewhere between a dash and
a 1/4 t of each). |
Add 1/4 c mayo and 1/2 t
mustard and mix. Do a taste
test and then add up to 2 more T of mayo.
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Serve immediately or
refrigerate for up to 6 hours.
If you are going to make them a day ahead, assemble day of and keep covered. |
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Problems Dry eggs: Make sure the filling isn't too dry. Just taste it once or twice (or three times) to make sure the taste is right. No flavor: If there isn't enough salt or mayonaise, the filling is bland. I never add more mustard, though. It can easily overpower the egg. Adding fancy ingredients: Usually I love to have a 'secret' ingredient--A little white wine, some vinegar, or even tuna fish. Don't be swayed. When it comes to some southern dishes, the way my Mom taught me is still the best. You can't mess with perfection. Pickle Relish is okay if you're into pickles, but it has to be sweet relish and not dill, or my Grandmother will come hassle you. |
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Deviled Eggs Serves 8
8 ggs 1/4 C, plus 2T mayo 1/2 t mustard Salt and pepper 1 t Sweet pickle relish (optional)
1.
Pour cold water over 8 eggs, add some salt, and bring
to a boil. Turn the heat off,
cover, and let steam for 15 minutes.
This cooks the eggs gently and keeps the yolks from turning grey.
2.
Run cold water over the
eggs and peel immediately. The
longer they sit, the harder they are to peel.
3.
Peel eggs from the
larger end and work down to the narrow end.
4.
Yep. You read that
right. There aren't any secret
ingredients here, but that's the secret.
Fancy deviled eggs never match up to the basic. I don't mess with
tradition. (Well, I've tried,
but it's a waste of time.)
5.
Using a fork, crumble
the yolks, then sprinkle with salt and pepper (somewhere between a dash and
a ¼ t of each).
6.
Add ¼ c mayo and ½ t
mustard and mix. Do a taste
test and then add up to 2 more T of mayo.
7.
Serve immediately or
refrigerate for up to 6 hours.
If you are going to make them a day ahead, assemble day of and keep them
covered until you are ready to serve.
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