Deviled Eggs
Solid Basics
A friend asked me how to make tuna fish sandwiches the other day, and I was taken aback. Then another friend asked how to make deviled eggs, as she wanted to serve them for a backyard gathering. It got me wondering just how many people want to know the basics—a few trusted recipes worthy of repeating time and again. With this in mind, I’m sharing a few of my standards. Click for Egg Salad Sandwich, Grilled Cheese how tos, and Tuna Salad Sandwich recipes.
Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs have been around since 15th-century Italy. But it wasn’t until the mid-1700s that the British gave them that moniker—not because they were sinfully rich, but because the cooking term “devil” meant food that was well chopped up and mixed with a sauce or seasoning. The key to a good deviled egg is to be certain to mash the yolk with a fork until it is free of all lumps prior to mixing in the other ingredients. This ensures the creamy texture that makes deviled eggs so heavenly.
This is a straightforward, no-nonsense recipe. Feel free to jazz it up with either a dash of Tabasco, dill, curry powder, wasabi, pickle relish, capers, parsley, or even minced ham. The possibilities are fairly endless, but for some reason, I always circle back to the original.
Deviled Eggs
Serves 4
6 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2-1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise, preferably Best Foods
parsley and paprika to plate
Boil and peel eggs per master instructions.
Place egg yolks in a small bowl and use a fork to completely break up the yolks.
Mix in all other ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Use a spoon (or get fancy with a pastry bag and decorating tip) and distribute the filling amongst the eggs. Plate and decorate with a sprinkle of paprika and a small bit of parsley. You can make these hours ahead. To refrigerate, use strategically placed toothpicks to create a plastic wrap tent so the covering doesn’t touch the filling.