Stop Hiding the Eggs

Easter is over but eggs are always in season. My dad and Pam raise chickens. They are kind enough to keep us stocked in the most exquisite brown, green and white eggs. 

Most people wouldn’t know the difference between fresh eggs and store-bought. Miles used to poke fun and call store-bought eggs "city" eggs, as opposed to Dad’s farm eggs, but that was before he became addicted to them, like a freak to meth.

Farm eggs have a bright yellow yolk. 

The others look sickly pale in comparison. We used to enjoy going out to eat a late breakfast on Saturday mornings, but Miles can no longer stomach the pathetic little substitutes. I guess it’s what the natural grocers call free-range eggs. Pam does open the coop and let the little cluckers wonder about in the evenings.

Dad makes deviled eggs for holiday meals. I like to make any meal special by making just a few. It reminds me to celebrate everyday joys. The nice part is you can dress them up or keep it simple.

I didn’t realize there are those who don’t know how to boil eggs until Monica said she didn’t know how long to cook them so she would boil them for 30 minutes to make sure the yolks were solid. Have you ever sliced into a boiled egg and seen a dark greenish grey around the yolk where it’s touching the white? That’s from over cooking. It looks ugly and we can’t have that.

One of the few things I have left of my mom’s is a metal pot she brought back from Germany where she was stationed in the Army. She had my oldest sister Linda there so it’s over sixty years old. I only remember her using the pot to boil eggs in. 

Place as many eggs as you need in a pot. Don’t forget each egg will be 2 when cut in half. Cover the eggs with at least 2 inched of water. Set the pot hot over a high heat. This part takes some waiting, usually about 5 minutes. I try to load or unload the dishwasher or start to work on another dish while waiting for the water to boil.

As soon as the water starts to boil, set your timer for 15 minutes. It doesn’t matter how many eggs you cook. 15 minutes is all you need.

When the timer goes off immediately remove the pot from the stove and set in the sink and run cold water over it for a few minutes. 

I like to dump out the pot several times to get rid of the hot water. Let the eggs finish cooling in the cold water. If you aren’t using the eggs immediately, you can put the eggs in the fridge. I like to keep a couple of unpeeled hard boiled eggs handy, in case I need it for a salad or pasta dish.

When the eggs are cooled, peel them. I also didn’t realize someone might not know how to peel eggs. Crack each one all the way around the scrumtious sphere. 

Don’t slam the eggs, gently tap them on the counter or the sink divider. Find a good opening and start peeling. There’s a thin membrane under the shell. The shells are easier to remove if you get under this membrane. Rinse each egg under water to remove all pieces of shell and dry on a paper towel.

Slice each egg lengthwise. Pop each yolk half out in a bowl and put the white half on a deviled egg tray or plate.

When all the yolks are in the bowl, mash them with a fork, making little crumbles. Add  salt and pepper. I like to add a small drop of mustard to give it a little kick. Add a small amount of mayo and mix it together. 

You can always add more mayo but you can’t take any away. Continue adding mayo until you have a good consistency. You should still be able to see the yellow of the yolks. I have a friend, Debi Boss, who likes to beat the yolks with a hand mixer. It’s your call. Dad also likes to add a few dribbles of white vinegar. Sometimes I do, too.

Using a teaspoon place a dallop in each white half. Don’t worry about preciseness because you can always go back and fill in lean spots. 

An alternative method of dispersing the luscious filling is the way Boss does: using her handy Pampered Chef decorator, you know like the kind bakers use to pipe frosting on cakes. You could also put the mixture in a small ziploc bag and snip a corner off. It makes the eggs look purty.

Deviled eggs can be improved upon in many ways. My dad is fan of adding relish and ham. Tobasco sauce would be good for Cinco de Mayo. You could use chopped olives or jalapenos. Whatever ingredient you add to the yolk mixture will need to be finely chopped. The eggs are too little to have chunks. 

Most people like to sprinkle paprika on top. To sprinkle or not to sprinkle, that is the question. Do what you want. I prefer an extra shot of black pepper on top of the ones I eat. 

What do you do with leftover deviled eggs? That's not usually a problem around our house, but this is what I like to do: take each egg half and stack it on top of another one.

Put the "whole" eggs in a ziploc bag. If this offends your delicate since of beauty, you could gently place the halves in a flat shallow plasticware. I  prefer the ziploc because I like to take them to work for a quick breakfast without having to mess with a plastic container. But then I can eat eggs made any way and eat them for breakfast. Just a thought!

As always try this basic recipe first, getting the hang of it, and then let your imagination run wild with the different ways this dish can be adapted to fit any occasion. Let me know what you did different. Change is good.

Happy Cooking!