Deviled Eggs

This Sunday while many were hunting for and dying eggs, I was deviling them. My family broke away from the traditional ham dinner for Easter and decided to do a BBQ cookout instead. And there was not a complaint in the house!

I was asked to bring deviled eggs, which I don't think I've ever made before. In fact, I spent the better part of an hour researching the best way to hard-boil eggs because I was so nervous that I'd ruin them all. And then I'd have to go to the store, which would surely be sold out of eggs, seeing as how it was 2pm on Easter Sunday. *fret* Kate just shook her head at me, astounded that I could get so worked up over eggs. Yep, that's me.

Anyway, after all of my research, I decided I was educated enough to mix methods. (Who am I?) There was lots of advice out there, and I kind of pieced together the most recommended parts. Here's what I came up with, which worked perfectly, I might add.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

Yield: 12 eggs

Total Time: 30 minutes, including peeling (15 minutes cooking time, 15 minutes hands-on)

Directions:

• Gently place eggs in a single layer in a large, heavy-bottomed stock pot. Cover with cold water from the tap, so there is 1 inch of water above the eggs.
• Place on the stove, uncovered, and bring to a boil.
• As soon as the water comes to a boil, cover with a lid and remove from heat. (I have a glass-top stove that stays quite warm even after the heat has been turned off, so I physically moved the pot to a cool burner.)
• Set a timer for 15 minutes and leave covered to finish cooking.
• With about 5 minutes remaining, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl.
• Once the timer has sounded, gently transfer the eggs, one at a time, to the ice bath. (Tongs, a slotted spoon, or a spider are all good tools for this job.)
• When the eggs have cooled, remove them all from the ice bath at once. (The longer they stay in the ice bath the harder the shells will be to remove.)
• At this point you can either peel the eggs or store them in the refrigerator for about a week.
• To peel, gently tap the shell on a flat surface until it is cracked all over. It helps to begin peeling at the wider, base-end because there is a little air pocket under the shell. Try to get under the thin membrane connected the shell, as this helps it come off in larger pieces. (Tip: You may want to try peeling under running water or with the egg submerged in a bowl of water.)
• Gently rinse peeled eggs to ensure all bits of shell have been removed.

After I cooked and peeled a dozen eggs, I got to work on deviling them.

Deviled Eggs

Yield: 24 deviled egg halves

Time: 15 minutes if starting with cooked & peeled eggs. 45 minutes if starting with raw eggs.

Ingredients

• 12 peeled hard-boiled eggs (see instructions above)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper + more for garnish (optional)

Directions

• Gently cut each egg in half, length-wise.
• Carefully pop each egg yolk out into a medium bowl. Place reserved egg whites in an egg-carrying dish or on a large plate covered in a damp paper towel (to keep them from sliding around.)
• Break apart the yolks with a fork, until crumbled. Add the mayonnaise and mustard, and stir until well incorporated and creamy.
• Taste for salt and add if needed. Add cayenne pepper at this time, if using. Stir to combine.
• Using a small spoon or piping bag, place a heaping teaspoonful of filling into each reserved egg white, dividing equally amongst them.
• Sprinkle with additional cayenne pepper, if using.
• Options: add a few tablespoons of pickle relish to the mixture with the mayo and mustard; use a large zip-top bag with a corner snipped off instead of a pastry bag to fill; use paprika for garnish as a mild alternative to spicy cayenne