Any Kitchen Will Do

Deviled Eggs

Devil may care, but I do not. Eat eggs. Sometimes the healthy eating powers-that-be say they are bad for you, then they change their minds and say they are good for you. Some say the chicken came first while others insist the egg was first in line. They are a great source of cheap protein, make for a great breakfast that will actually hold me until lunch, and, by golly, I like them. Eggs can make sauces better tasting or baked goods light and airy. As Easter approaches there is always a need for ways to use up those colored boiled eggs. Besides egg salad there is at least one other way! Make them deviled!

I like making deviled eggs, and an actual deviled egg dish is one of the few specialty serving plates I have on hand at the moment. There is nothing worse than arriving at a party with a plate of deviled eggs, only to find that the sharp right turn you took in the car resulted in the slippery little things smushing up on one side of the plate and the decorated tops all ending up on their sides. Growing up we made them often, only to scarf them down as soon as the whites were filled. Personally I despise the use of sweet pickles or relish in deviled eggs. It is a contradiction I will most likely spit out such abominations if they ever cross my lips. Now dill pickles are another story. They emphasize the already savory nature of the boiled eggs and always taste good with a little mustard mixed in. I am not sure why I started on a pickle tangent because I don’t even use any for this recipe…

From what I can tell, deviled eggs got their name from being spicy, as in full of flavor, and almost evil in their ability to tempt. Even the ancient Romans were known to partake of them. Some people more devout than myself are wont to call them angel eggs, but there is nothing angelic about these babies. What food with horseradish could possibly be considered angelic, of course the seraphim may be the closest. Seraphim eggs? Um. No.

Deviled Eggs

12 large eggs
½ tsp horseradish
1 tsp yellow or stone ground mustard
½ tsp curry powder
1-2 Tbsp mayonnaise or plain yogurt
2 Tbsp green onion, finely chopped

Fill a large pot with about 3” of water. Place over high heat on stove top and bring to a boil. With a slotted spoon gently place eggs, one at a time, into the boiling water. Lower heat to maintain a simmer and cook eggs for 12-15 minutes until hard boiled. Remove pan from heat and tip to let hot water run out while cold water runs into the pot, gradually replacing hot water with cold. Let set for about five minutes then shake pan around to crack shells and loosen them from the cooked whites. Peels should easily come off the eggs at this point. After peeling let the eggs cool completely. When cold, slice eggs in half lengthwise and carefully remove yolks, placing them in a small bowl, while avoiding any damage to the whites. Sometimes the egg whites may tear along the middle of the egg, which may ruin the egg white for using to devil. Just cut them in half along the tear – if you rely on a deviled egg serving dish the whites will sit in the divets of the plate and hold the yolk mixture whether they are cut lengthwise or width-wise. Arrange egg whites on serving dish.

Add all remaining ingredients to egg yolks and combine well. Take care to only use as much mayonnaise or yogurt as needed to thin out the mixture, but stop short of making the mixture runny. It should be thick enough to hold shape, similar to decorating frosting. Place egg yolk mixture into cake decorating bag with a large decorating tip*. Fill egg whites with yolk mixture, using any kind of swirl or twist motion to make them pretty. Chill until time to serve.

*Instead of cake decorating equipment you can use a strong plastic bag (like Ziploc®). Fill bag with yolk mixture and pack it down into one corner. Snip the corner of the bag with scissors, making about a 1/8” to ¼” opening. Squeeze mixture through opening into egg white halves.