PROPER EASTER EGG CONSUMPTION: THE DEVILED EGG

Easter has come and gone.  But the memory lingers.  Sticky half eaten Peeps have fallen to the floor and the dog won't even eat them.  Under all the purple grass in the green basket, wayward MM's have hidden until another day.  But other items won't be so delish if hidden for too long.  I am here today and in the next few days, to offer my considerable knowledge in the course of proper Easter Egg consumption.

Shells, shells, shells.  Peeling eggs is a thankless, non-ending task.  Tap the bottom and roll the sides.  The rest is pure luck depending on if that little bitty piece wants to let go.  Nothing worse than a bit of shell in anything involving the eating of eggs.

Always count the hard-boiled, dyed in the nick of time, Easter Eggs BEFORE hiding.  Without much wiggle room, hunting eggs should be an outdoor activity.  In case of a rainy day, real hard boiled, dyed eggs should only be used indoors with extreme caution.  This is one item not to be accidentally rolled under the sofa only to be discovered days later.  Surely, somewhere in the world there might be a blizzard on Easter.  I don't have experience with frozen Easter Eggs but we all know about the Blessed Frozen Azalea and Dogwood Festival which can occur just as Easter is approaching.

After dyeing, hiding, finding and refrigerating, the Easter Eggs are ready for preparation.  In a large family, the abundance of said product can be overwhelming.  Have no fear.  My lifelong prowess (and those before me) in the kitchen has endowed me with the authority to help you produce one of the most satisfying finger foods picked off a platter.

Mayonnaise and eggs go hand in hand.  They are related.  In this case, the egg came first and then the mayonnaise.  Don't even mention the "other" in my presence or I will pack up and leave your kitchen. Kind of like becoming enraptured of a Pepsi product when I have just poured you my last Coca Cola and I have to be nice.  Because I will be nice, because you are my guest and the guest should rule in any proper home.  Just like white shoes and Labor Day.  Just don't.

Ingredients for Basic Deviled Eggs

                             7 boiled eggs                               

                                                      Mayonnaise                                                       

Salt and pepper

Dry mustard

Onion

Bread and butter pickles

Hungarian Paprika

Cayenne Pepper

When I peeled these happy eggs, they revealed an additional surprise.  Despite the whites being dyed to match, no harm has befallen anyone who consumed these colorful wonders.  My foray into Easter Egg land produced two products, thus far.

I started off by peeling seven cold, boiled eggs, rinsing them under a gentle stream of water to dislodge any last bit of shell.

Half each egg lengthwise.  Pop the egg yolk out into a small mixing bow.  Place the egg white on a plate for later use.

Mash the yolks with a fork.  Do not use any power stronger than your hand. Mash. Mash.  But not completely.

Now comes the mayonnaise.  Today I was using special kitchen measurements.  I added five nice dollops from an iced tea spoon to the lightly mashed yolks.  Found in every proper Southern home, this piece of flatware is an implement devised for the addition of sugar to an individual iced tea glass when the home folks are not serving sweet syrup disguised as iced tea.  I doubt that those located in more northerly regions have use of such.  The recipe for the perfect glass of iced tea can be found on my blog   http://tocatchathought.blogspot.com/2013/08/perfect-iced-tea-even-in-morning.html.  It may also be used to annoy any other diners within earshot when you stir the sugar into the cold tea.  However, good manners insist the proper method is silent.

Add salt and pepper to taste.  Also a good sprinkle of dry mustard.  Next, add essence of onion.  For this delicate procedure, I placed my Microplane over the mixture and gently scraped a peeled onion twenty times (I counted) across a two inch area of the grater, tapping the scant juice into the egg yolks. Remember, essence only.  Mix nicely.

Prepare bread and butter pickles (not dill or pickle relish), finely minced, 3 Tablespoons.  Add the pickles to the mix.

At this point, I halved the mixture into two bowls for two different preparations.  Set one bowl aside.

Piping or spooning could be a great debate.  On occasion, I have piped meringue into little boats and homemade icing onto cookies.  But given a choice and in the interest of ease, I usually spoon.  Place a heaping spoonful of the basic deviled egg mixture into each of the seven halved egg whites.  (Another good use for the iced tea spoon!)  Arrange on serving platter.  And yes, I do have a deviled egg plate, somewhere.

I sprinkled half of the eggs with paprika and the other half with cayenne pepper.  Just a light sprinkle. I especially loved the eggs with red pepper, just the essence of heat.

A perfect Devilishly Good Curried Egg

Additional Ingredients for Devilishly Good Curried Eggs

Curry

Peanuts

Flaked coconut

Chutney, optional

To the other bowl of basic deviled egg mixture, add 1/8 teaspoon of curry, mix well.  To this mixture, add 2 tablespoons of finely minced peanuts.  Spoon the curried mixture into the remaining egg whites.  Top each curried egg with just a few coconut flakes.  I would also have used a dab of chutney but my pantry was bare (of chutney).  This matter is a true shortfall for someone who loves Major Grey.  The bread and butter pickles do go nicely with the curry.

The finished product!  While any deviled egg can be made up and served rather quickly, I found these delicacies to be supreme even hours after refrigeration. 

Deviled eggs are tremendously easy.  They are also easy on a budget.  But most of all, extremely well-received.  Have you ever seen a platter offering deviled eggs (done well, of course) sitting full at the end of a potluck or holiday meal?  Enjoy!