A generous cook, a selfless cook, shares her recipes. She does it gladly because she's flattered to have been asked to pass along something that has brought others pleasure and full stomachs.
I am a stingy cook. I share, albeit reluctantly. Thing of it is, I love having a secret weapon, that one ingredient that's hard to identify, that's so subtle it makes a dish a parlor game. It's turmeric! No, wait a minute, it's coriander! Butter, it has got to be butter!
Great deviled eggs require a secret weapon. Something to ensure that every indentation in the tray is emptied in rapid-fire succession, that those creamy little halves are popped into the mouth like so much hot buttered popcorn.
After playing the guessing game for the better part of a cocktail party, during which she consumed nearly a dozen of said eggs, a former co-worker tried to strong-arm me for the recipe. I demurred. Back at work, she cornered me in the hallway. I hemmed. She sent me e-mails. I hawed.
She kept at it, her tone increasingly insistent to the point that suggested she was having some odd form of yolk withdrawal. Finally, with no place left to hide, I broke down and forked over the recipe.
Missing from the ingredient list, however, was a dash of something special, that one thing that made the flavor unique, or at least what I thought was unique.
Am I ashamed of such selfish behavior after all these years? Just a little.
All over town, and across the country, of-the-moment restaurants are serving deviled eggs, each with their own spin, their own what-is-that? element.
To call it an emerging trend is a stretch. Certainly for the past five or six years, gussied-up eggs have crept onto cocktail menus and been offered as small plates here and there. Now they seem to be everywhere at once.
But boiled eggs with a dressed-up yolk have been around since ancient Romans poured sauces of wine, honey, pine nuts and herbs on them. By the Renaissance, eggs stuffed with savory spices were common. So when did they get the devil in them?
In 1849, Mistress Margaret Dobs described "deviling" in her book, The Cook and Housewife's Manual, though she was referencing meat. Deviling was achieved by adding "scorching heat or tear-compelling pungency" to food, she wrote. Among the list of ingredients: salt, pepper, cayenne, curry, mushroom, anchovy or truffle powder, and "must be administered at the discretion of the consumer."
Today, there's a good chance of getting all those ingredients in one egg at a restaurant.
What's the enduring appeal? Richard Gutman, director of the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, said it's a simple combination of textures.
"It's just a more pleasing mouth feel, with the pungent, slightly drier yolk and the cooler, more firm white," Gutman said.
Like other dishes that have been fetishized recently, such as designer macaroni and cheese and riffs on meatloaf, this latest interest in deviled eggs rode in on many streams: the slow food movement, the comfort food wave that began with a ripple after Sept. 11, 2001, and, to some degree, the same nostalgic urge that brought knitting back, then pronounced it hip. (Could embroidery and potpies be next?)
"With the economy going to hell, the war dragging on and gas prices so high, you're talking about a lot of depressing things going on, and people are drawn back to the comfort thing," said David Roberts, executive chef at Alon's.
Perhaps to make them seem less homely or common, some chefs pass on chicken eggs altogether and use duck eggs or quail eggs, as chef Cathal Armstrong does at Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, Va.
Each night, tiny quail eggs are boiled, shelled, halved and gently relieved of their yolks. Then the yolks are mashed with mayonnaise, seasoned with salt and cayenne and returned to their whites. Back in 2004, he topped them with Osetra caviar and set them atop brioche.
Now he grates bottarga di tonno (dried tuna roe) against a microplane, allowing the roe to settle across the top of the yolks with a sophistication paprika could never approximate.
"I don't know that they reach the quality of a first course, but in this application as a canap?, it's perfect," said Alex Dreyer, Eve's chef de cuisine.
Richard Blais, chef of Home restaurant, uses duck eggs to make his offering "a little more unique."
The eggs also are three times more expensive than chicken eggs.
The former Top Chef contestant, who once described himself as "tough as an artichoke," looks at the naked yolk and white like pizza dough, ready to receive whatever he tops it with. That might be duck confit, pulled brisket, fried fish, poached cherry tomatoes, butter pickles or pimento cheese.
"I look in the fridge every day and see what we've got, and if we've only got a couple of something, then we'll find a way to use it," Blais said.
After going through 350 chicken eggs to write her 2004 book Deviled Eggs: 50 Recipes From Simple to Sassy, author and former Raleigh News and Observer food editor Debbie Moose tried turkey eggs.
Not only were they sort of huge, "they had a little different flavor," Moose said. "I suppose you could go too far in trying different eggs and ingredients, but I haven't seen it yet."
This from a woman who has blended yolks with coconut flakes and cocoa before returning them to the whites.
Moose swears the cocoa version is worth a try, but I doubt I'll ever pass that off as a secret ingredient.
But to my former co-worker I say: If you're reading this, next time you try my deviled egg recipe, add a rounded quarter teaspoon of turmeric.
RECIPES
Who's bringing the deviled eggs to the summer cookout?
Grandmama? Cousin Brenda? Mr. Caldwell, the next door neighbor? Or will it be Aunt Queen, who has promised to leave the coveted recipe to a worthy heir upon her passing, but not a moment before? (No, the secret ingredient is not pickle vinegar, so stop asking me.)
Maybe it doesn't matter — as long as someone brings them. And odds are the bringer will take home a clean plate. To that end, we've put together a few deviled egg recipes, some simple, others more complex. They're from top chefs and home cooks and have origins that span continents, as well as ages. So get going. You have a lot of peeling ahead of you.
Dirty Martinis
Because deviled eggs make good cocktail food, this recipe from cookbook author Debbie Moose seems like a good combination of the two.
6 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons vodka
1 1/2 tablespoons juice from jar of green olives
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive slices for garnish
Cut eggs in half, reserving whites. In a bowl, place yolks and mash them, then whisk with mayonnaise, vodka, olive juice, cayenne and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon or pipe into reserved whites. Garnish with olive slices. Chill for 3 to 4 hours in refrigerator.
Makes 6 to 12 servings.
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 4 hours, 20 minutes
Per serving (based on 12): 80 calories (percent of calories from fat, 52), 3 grams protein, trace carbohydrates, trace fiber, 7 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 108 milligrams cholesterol, 68 milligrams sodium.
— From Deviled Eggs: 50 Recipes From Simple to Sassy by Debbie Moose (Harvard Common Press, $12.95)
Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs
6 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
1/4 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pimentos, drained and chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons chopped Vidalia onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped pimentos for garnish
Cut eggs in half, reserving whites. Place yolks in a bowl and add cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos, mustard, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon or pipe into reserved whites. Garnish yolks with chopped pimento.
6 to 12 servings
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Per serving (based on 12): 61 calories (percent of calories from fat, 74), 4 grams protein, trace carbohydrates, trace fiber, 5 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 109 milligrams cholesterol, 73 milligrams sodium.
— From Debbie Moose's Deviled Eggs: 50 Recipes From Simple to Sassy (Harvard Common Press, $12.95). Moose says that pimento cheese was like peanut butter to her family when she was growing up. It was always in the house.
Deviled Duck or Chicken Eggs With Smoked Mayonnaise and Mushroom
At first glance, the Smoked Mayonnaise and Mushroom Deviled Egg prepared by Richard Blais, chef at Home restaurant in Atlanta, looks complex. He uses duck eggs. But his creation actually has some kinship with ancient Roman and Renaissance stuffed-egg recipes. If you don't use duck eggs, Blais said chicken eggs can be substituted. Instead of the smoke powder that Blais uses, we used smoked salt.
12 duck or chicken eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet pickles, chopped
1/4 cup chopped dill
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup chopped cilantro stems
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
3 good splashes Tabasco
Zest and juice of 1 lime, divided
1 tiny pinch smoked salt
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon truffle oil
1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
2 tablespoons grated ginger
Submerge eggs in boiling water and cook for 11 to 12 minutes. Remove and place in ice water until cooled; peel.
Cut eggs in half, reserving whites. Place yolks in a food processor and puree. Add mayonnaise, pickles, dill, basil, chives, cilantro, capers, tarragon, Tabasco, lime zest and smoked salt and process to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a skillet, add truffle oil. Saute mushrooms and ginger for about 3 minutes. Spoon the smoked yolk mixture in the whites and top with the mushrooms, then a squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately.
Per serving (based on 24): 113 calories (percent of calories from fat, 73), 5 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 9 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 311 milligrams cholesterol, 138 milligrams sodium.
Makes 12 to 24 servings.
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Homemade Mayonnaise
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup olive or canola oil, room temperature
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a bowl, whisk together yolks, mustard and lemon juice. In a very slow, steady stream, whisk in oil, drop by drop, until mixture begins to thicken. As it thickens, add oil slightly more quickly, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Store in refrigerator up to 2 days.
Per tablespoon: 128 calories (percent of calories from fat, 98), trace protein, trace carbohydrates, trace fiber, 14 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 27 milligrams cholesterol, 5 milligrams sodium.
Makes 16 servings.
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
— Virginia Willis' Bon Appetit, Y'all' Deviled Egg
Deviled Eggs
Chef Virginia Willis includes this creamy recipe in her new book, Bon Appetit, Y'all' Deviled Egg (Ten Speed Press, $32.50). The recipe calls for using homemade mayonnaise for the freshest taste. (Because the mayonnaise includes raw eggs, pregnant women, young children, the elderly or those with a compromised immune system shouldn't eat it.)
12 eggs
1/3 cup homemade mayonnaise (see recipe on page)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Pinch cayenne pepper
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon, chives or chervil, plus leaves for garnish
Place eggs in saucepan; add water so that 1 inch is above eggs. Bring to boil uncovered over high heat, immediately remove from heat, cover pan and let stand 12 minutes. Drain, rinse under cool water and set aside until completely cool.
Cut eggs in half, reserving whites. Place yolks in a food processor. Blend yolks, mayonnaise, butter, mustard and cayenne until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped tarragon.
Place egg mixture in a piping bag with a star tip or in a plastic bag with one corner tip snipped off. Pipe mixture into whites. Garnish with herbs and serve immediately.
Makes 12 to 24 servings.
Hands on: 25 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Per serving (based on 24): 77 calories (percent of calories from fat, 81), 3 grams protein, trace carbohydrates, trace fiber, 7 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 114 milligrams cholesterol, 44 milligrams sodium.
