Monday, November 26, 2012

Heavenly deviled eggs


So, I like eggs now. Sort of. Not every way--the thought of an omelet still makes me gag, and strangely, although scrambled was the only way I would consider eating them for about 20 years, I now do not prefer them scrambled--but I'll eat a fried egg (sunny-side up), and occasionally poached. And I've grown very fond of the deviled egg.

On the one hand, deviled eggs seem weird and tacky and kind of dated. They're so American. My parents used to make deviled eggs for parties when I was a kid and transport them in a special deviled egg carrying case, which I coveted both then and now. It was the kind with special little divots for the egg halves, plus a lid that snapped shut with a handle.

On the other hand, deviled eggs are a fantastic idea. Much like the twice-baked potato, with a few ingredients you can elevate something from basic to divine, while stuffing it back in its original package. Fun!

This was my first attempt at deviled eggs. I wanted to make them as an appetizer for Thanksgiving, and so I did a test run a few days earlier, which is what these photos are from. I had a little trouble boiling the eggs.  Why are easy things sometimes hard?  I used the bring-to-boil-turn-off-and-sit method and ended up with little dents and dips in the eggs, as you can see. The second versions looked much better, although of course I have no pictures to prove it. In that instance, I boiled the eggs the day before (just 10 minutes on low) and let them rest overnight, which seemed to help.

The recipe is based on Tyler Florence's deviled eggs that he serves as his wonderful restaurant, Wayfare Tavern. I found the recipe here, but tweaked it a bit the second time around: I decreased the capers and salt, added more mayo, and left the smoked paprika out of the filling. I also was out of celery leaves but in possession of chives so did a swap. And, I skipped the fried caper garnish in both attempts, though I have no doubt that would have been delicious. I just can't get into so much detail for what is essentially a snack. I did, however,  form a makeshift pastry bag out of a Ziploc and found the single tip I own so I could pipe the filling as artfully as I was able, which was not very.

These were quite the hit.  I expect these might reappear later in the holiday season and suggest you give them a try as well, if you're looking for something simple, festive, and a little bit retro for your next gathering.

16 comments:

  1. I admit that I too never saw the appeal of deviled eggs. I mean, why take something out of something only to put it back in? Anywho, it does make for a nice snack, and yours did turn out pretty and colorful. I bet they tasted great! (I agree with you about all the work for a little snack. Sometimes less is more!)

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  2. Hard to beat bacon with deviled eggs - good idea! I usually make them with a healthy shaking of curry powder in the egg/mayo mixture. They are one of my guilty pleasures, the kind of thing that tempts me to eat 'way too much.

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  3. Oh, and, were your eggs hard to shell? If so, it may be that they were super fresh. Fresh eggs don't peel easily.

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  4. These look wonderful---an oldie but goodie! You've 'coiffed' them beautifully ;)

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  5. Ben: yeah, the unstuffing and restuffing does seem silly, but it's worth it and really quite easy. These are a good party snack but I wouldn't bother making them just for me & the huz!

    Zoom: Yes, bacon is the kind of all garnishes, especially when it comes to deviled eggs. And you may be right about the fresh eggs...I've heard that before.

    Sue: Why, thank you!

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  6. I am, and always have been, a huge deviled egg fan. The bacon is a genius addition! I made some a few Christmases ago with crème fraîche and smoked salmon in the filling. Delectable.

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  7. camille: well, hello! So nice to see you! Your deviled eggs w/creme fraiche and smoked salmon sound divine.

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  8. that's the most packed and padded batch of deviled eggs i've ever seen, and boy, does it look amazing! i like your blog post title, too--clever. :)

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  9. I was lucky enough to sample these and they were DELICIOUS! I could've easily eaten them all (which is scary considering that would be like a dozen eggs at one sitting!) - Pete

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  10. grace: That title reminded me of your titles :)

    Pete: They went down pretty easily, didn't they?

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  11. The deviled egg! You are right, so American. I remember the travel case too. I can eat eggs all day, served up every way except runny, then I am gagging too.

    Eggs are a perfect food, if you like them.

    Velva

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  12. Well, I eat a fried egg inside a corn taco every morning of my life....plus an orange. So I am definitely egg crazy. Have you noticed deviled eggs are the first to go on a buffet? But these are different. Better. By far. Love your changes too. I am not a caper fan.

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  13. Velva: Strangely, I can eat a runny egg, although I totally understand why it's disgusting.

    Barbara: I don't mind capers but a few go a long way. They can easily dominate whatever they are in.

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  14. They look a very worthy appetizer. I've never actually done devilled eggs before but have just invited some folks round to drinks, this will have to go on the menu because I like retro :) Hope all is well in HD land.

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  15. Glad you like eggs now. And deviled eggs are all the rage. Yum!

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