In many homes, celebrating Easter includes dying Easter eggs, lots of them. As your refrigerator fills with cartons by the dozen, consider some creative ways to enjoy your eggs before and after dying them. Be warned … the old fashioned approach of boiling eggs in a pot, which causes the eggs to become rubbery, is now taboo. A large saucepan is the new, preferred way for the best boiled eggs that are easy to peel. Another tip is to remember that very fresh eggs are hard to peel, thus try to use eggs near the sell-by date on the carton.
Make sure to plan ahead if you want to use your dyed Easter eggs for consumption. Line your egg carton with a paper towel, and as soon as you dye the eggs, return them to the carton and refrigerate to prevent their growing salmonella. It’s time to get busy, so bring in your younger cooks to help make a variety of deviled eggs that are both fun to create and delicious to eat.
Deviled Eggs
From Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family, by Art Smith
12 large eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sweet pickle, minced
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Hot red pepper sauce
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Paprika, for garnish
Place the eggs in a large saucepan just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain carefully and rinse under cold water. When cool enough to handle, but still warm, peel the eggs. Cool completely.
Cut each egg in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and place in a medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, pickle and Worcestershire sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce.
Transfer the yolk mixture to a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch-wide opening. If you wish, fit the bag with a 1/2-inch star tip before filling. Squeeze the yolk mixture into the hollows of the whites and place on a serving platter. Sprinkle the filling with parsley and paprika. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled –– at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. Serve chilled. Makes 24.
Yolkless Deviled Eggs with
Smoked Salmon
By Linda Royal
12 hard boiled egg whites, sliced and yolks removed
2 pounds smoked salmon, sliced
1/2 cup cream cheese
4 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
2 lemons, sliced in wedges
Use same recipe from above to boil eggs. Halve the eggs lengthwise. Carefully remove the yolks and discard. Roll salmon in small slices and squeeze fresh lemon over each piece. Mix cream cheese and dill in small bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon cream cheese mixture in center of egg, then top with salmon roll and fresh parsley. Serve chilled on a platter. Arrange the garnish to resemble carrots for Easter! Makes 24.
Deviled Eggs and Bacon
By Linda Royal
12 hard boiled eggs
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
6 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 tablespoons chives, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Use same recipe from above to boil eggs. Halve the eggs lengthwise. Remove yolks and transfer to medium bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork, stirring in the sour cream and mayonnaise. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the crumbled bacon and 1 tablespoon of the chives for your garnish. Add the remaining bacon and chives to the yolk mixture, stirring well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pipe or spoon filling into egg whites. Sprinkle with the extra bacon and chives. Makes 24.
Wasabi Deviled Eggs
By Martha Stewart
8 large eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi paste
2 teaspoons unseasoned rice-wine vinegar
2 large scallions, minced (3 tablespoons)
Coarse salt
Pea shoots or sprouts, for garnish
Use same recipe from above to boil eggs. Peel eggs and halve lengthwise. Transfer yolks to a medium bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Stir in mayonnaise, wasabi, vinegar and scallions. Wasabi comes in powder form, which you must mix with equal parts water, or already have prepared in a tube. Either will work in this recipe. Season with salt. Pipe or spoon filling into whites. Garnish with pea shoots or sprouts. Makes 16.
Devilish Eggs
By Chef Trevor Higgins
The Southerner’s Cookbook: Recipes, Wisdom,
and Stories
12 large grade-A eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons grainy mustard
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 1/2 teaspoon bacon grease
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces smoked salmon, cut into small slices
Snipped fresh chives for garnish
Use same recipe from above to boil eggs. Combine the egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, Sriracha and bacon grease in a medium bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk the ingredients until smooth. Fill a piping bag with the mixture and pipe it into the egg yolk halves. Top each with a small slice of salmon and snipped chives. Serve immediately. Makes 24.
For the traditional deviled egg, Maxine Reynolds also suggests adding 1/4 teaspoon onion juice that is scraped off of a fresh onion to the yolk mix. She also says to change up the yolk recipe by adding lemon juice or pickles and then top the egg with sliced olives instead of paprika.
