Easter eats: better to eat the devilled egg you know
Devilled eggs are timeless — old-fashioned and new-fashioned at the same time. They are perfect for an Easter brunch, a spring menu and Passover sprinkled with crispy onions. There are lots of ways to flavour devilled eggs: herbs, anchovies, olives, capers, pickles, blue cheese or pesto, but mustard and mayonnaise are the most traditional. Make them as devilish as you want with any spicy ingredient such as sriracha, harissa, curry paste, Tabasco, cayenne pepper or sweet chili sauce. Top with caviar or a curl
of smoked salmon for an upscale look, crispy bacon for a down-home version or microgreens for a ‘welcome to spring’ presentation. Devilled eggs are great on salads or charcuterie platters, and leftovers are delicious squished into sandwiches.
Happy Easter, Passover and spring
12 eggs 4 to 6 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tbsp Dijon mustard or curry paste (or powder) or to taste
1 tsp kosher salt or more to taste
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon, parsley or cilantro
To serve:
1 bunch watercress microgreens (ie., arugula) or chopped herbs to garnish
1. Gently lower eggs in a large saucepan of boiling salted water. When the water returns to the boil, cover and turn off heat. Let eggs sit in the water for 14 minutes. Drain eggs and shake pan gently to crack the shells. Chill in cold water. Remove shells carefully. Do not worry if some shells do not come off easily. The fresher the eggs (especially if you buy them at farmers’ markets) the harder they are to peel. If a few eggs break apart you can still usually use at least one half of the white. Use all the yolks in the stuffing mixture and eat the broken whites. In the end you should still have about 20 finished devilled eggs or more.
2. Cut eggs in half cross-wise with a sharp knife. Using a small spoon, gently scoop out yolks into a sieve set over a bowl. Press yolks through the strainer. (Or you can use a food processor to make the filling.) Mix in enough mayonnaise so that mixture can be piped into the egg whites and then add devilish ingredient and salt to taste. Add your choice of herbs, if using.
3. Trim ends of egg white halves so they can stand up. Place on a tray hollow-side up.
4. Spoon yolk mixture into a piping tube fitted with a star nozzle and pipe into egg whites. If you do not have a piping tube you can use a heavy zipper style plastic bag with one of the corners cut off. Or simply use a small spoon.
5. Arrange on a platter lined with watercress and sprinkle with microgreens or chopped herbs.
Makes about 20 to 24 pieces