Classic Deviled Eggs + Variations
Having hard-cooked eggs on hand for Easter, once the dyeing and hunting are done, is a perfect excuse to make creamy, rich deviled eggs. They are delicious both seasoned simply and matched with all kinds of flavors. For instance, a combination of pickled beets and green apple provides a tangy-sweet crunch, while garlic, Parmesan, fresh basil, and salami bring to mind -- and taste buds -- a classic Italian antipasto. In a Japan-inspired version, scallions, sesame oil, and chopped seaweed balance nuttiness and onion against the brininess of the sea.
Pressing the yolks through a sieve makes for an especially smooth, fluffy filling. You can use a dinner spoon to fill the eggs, a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch tip, or a makeshift pastry bag fashioned from a plastic bag with one corner snipped.
6 large eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
4 drops hot pepper sauce, or more, to taste
2 tablespoons very finely chopped shallot (optional)
3 tablespoons very finely chopped celery (optional)
Paprika or finely chopped parsley or chives, for garnish
In a medium saucepan, place the eggs in a single layer and cover with cool water by about 1 inch. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring just barely to a boil. As soon as the first bubbles break the surface of the water, turn off the heat, cover the pan, and rest the eggs for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with ice water, and set aside. Drain the hot water from the saucepan, sharply shake the pan to crack the eggshells all over, and immediately place the eggs in the ice water to stop the cooking. Rest the eggs until they are no longer warm, about 10 minutes, then peel them.
Set a mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Cut the eggs in half, gently remove the yolks, and place them in the sieve. Set the whites aside. With a soup spoon or flexible spatula, press the yolks through the sieve into the bowl (alternatively, you can place the yolks directly in the bowl and mash them well with a fork). Add the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper, hot pepper sauce, and shallot and celery, if using, and beat until smooth and uniform.
Fill each egg-white half with a portion of the yolk mixture. Arrange the filled halves on a serving plate, sprinkle with paprika, parsley, or chives, and serve at once.
Variations
Antipasto Deviled Eggs
Follow the recipe for Classic Deviled Eggs, making the following changes to the yolk mixture:
1 Increase the mayonnaise to 5 tablespoons.
2 Omit the mustard and salt.
3 Substitute red wine vinegar for the lemon juice.
4 Add ¼ teaspoon minced garlic, 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, 6 tablespoons finely chopped deli salami, and 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil.
Blue Cheese and Membrillo Deviled Eggs
Membrillo is a smooth, firm, sweet-tart quince paste from Spain that is often served with cheese. You can substitute guava paste, a similar product from Latin America. Follow the recipe for Classic Deviled Eggs, making the following changes to the yolk mixture:
1 Reduce the mustard to ¼ teaspoon and the lemon juice to ½ teaspoon.
2 Omit the hot sauce.
3 Use the optional shallot and celery.
4 Add 2 tablespoons very finely chopped membrillo or guava paste and 3 tablespoons finely crumbled blue cheese.
Goat Cheese, Lemon, and Chive Deviled Eggs
Follow the recipe for Classic Deviled Eggs, making the following changes to the yolk mixture:
1 Reduce the mustard to ¼ teaspoon.
2 Increase the lemon juice to 1 teaspoon.
3 Use the optional celery, but not the optional shallot.
4 Add 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, and ¼ cup room-temperature fresh goat cheese.
Pickled Beet and Apple Deviled Eggs
Follow the recipe for Classic Deviled Eggs, making the following changes to the yolk mixture:
1 Omit the hot pepper sauce.
2 Use the optional shallot, but not the optional celery.
3 Add 3 tablespoons each of very finely chopped pickled beet and very finely chopped parsley, and 5 tablespoons of very finely chopped Granny Smith apple.
Tuna and Black Olive Deviled Eggs
These are based loosely on the fabulous tuna and olive eggs served at Oleana in Cambridge. Follow the recipe for Classic Deviled Eggs, making the following changes to the yolk mixture:
1 Omit the mustard.
2 Increase the lemon juice to 2½ teaspoons.
3 Use the optional celery, but not the optional shallot.
4 Add ¼ cup very finely chopped canned tuna packed in olive oil, 2 tablespoons very finely chopped scallion (about 2), ¼ cup very finely chopped pitted black olives (about 8), and 2 tablespoons very finely chopped parsley.
Deviled Eggs with Japanese Flavors
Follow the recipe for Classic Deviled Eggs, making the following changes to the yolk mixture:
1 In a medium bowl, cover 1½ tablespoons (about 1/8 ounce) dried wakame seaweed with cold water and rehydrate until tender and about doubled in volume, about 5 minutes. Drain wakame, squeeze dry, chop it very finely, and set aside (you should have about ¼ cup).
2 Omit the mustard, lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper.
3 Do not use the optional shallot and celery.
4 Add ¾ teaspoon grated fresh ginger, ½ teaspoon each soy sauce and Asian toasted sesame oil, 2 tablespoons very finely chopped scallion (about 2), and the chopped wakame.
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