Recipe: Delightful Twists on Easter Deviled Eggs

Easter brings people together for special meals like other religious and cultural celebrations we share with family and friends. My memories of that Sunday remind me that we were among the fortunate children. We had Easter baskets filled with decorated eggs, candy and an Easter bunny waiting for us after church.

The celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ also meant a spread of delicious dishes would be served at our home. My mother usually made roasted lamb, mashed potatoes and asparagus or baked ham, sweet potatoes and green beans. Whatever menu she decided on, we always had deviled eggs with Easter dinner. Our family recipe was southern-style with mayonnaise, mustard and pickle relish.

Now, cooking large quantities of meat and side dishes leaves me with too many leftovers unless I am preparing food for guests. I can still make deviled eggs to remind me of childhood feasts without ending up with a refrigerator stuffed with containers.

This year, I decided to try some different twists on the traditional deviled eggs my mom taught me to make.  I have seen articles or food shows where chefs got creative with the classic recipe. After giving some thought to ingredients that might combine well, I went to the kitchen and made these variations: smoked salmon and capers, bacon and jalapeño, turkey ham and dill, and roasted red pepper and chive.

Internet recipe sites offer a wide selection of deviled egg recipes. You can make deviled eggs with everything from caviar to wasabi. There is even a website, The Deviled Egg Gourmet, that tells you just about anything you want to know on the subject including the history of the dish.  

Who knew the idea outdates our great-grandmothers or the ancestor who created your family recipe? Ancient Romans are the first cooks known to boil eggs and serve them with spices and sauces. Medieval Europeans printed the first recipes that involved removing the yolks, mixing ingredients into the yolks and re-stuffing the egg-white halves. The concept was a common practice by the 16^th century.

So, what does the devil have to do with it? On Foodtimeline.org, it says the first use of the demon-from-down-under in connection with food began in the 18^th century. Deviled foods were dishes made with fiery spices or condiments. By the 1800s, eggs had become part of the deviled food experience. Today, most recipes for deviled eggs include mustard, paprika or cayenne. 

Before trying out your creativity on the traditional variety, you have to make great hard-cooked eggs. That means no greenish rings around the yolks or unevenly peeled whites. I was taught to boil the eggs in water for 10 minutes or so before rinsing them with cold water. That was not always successful in producing perfectly cooked eggs.

I learned a new way after watching "Barefoot Contessa," Ina Garten's show on Food Network. It is a method suggested in some of the recipes I researched after making my deviled eggs. Basically, you turn off the heat once the water has come to a full boil, put on a cover and let the eggs sit about 12 minutes. Immediately place the cooked eggs in a large bowl of water and ice for about 5 minutes until they have cooled. That makes it much easier to peel off the shells.

Think of your own favorite ingredients and try some new twists on deviled eggs. If you are doing more than one variations, I found it helpful to mix each one separately with the mashed yolks. It made it easier to measure the right amount of mayonnaise. I also cleaned the bowl and utensils after each one to avoid mixing in the other ingredients. All of the fish, meat, vegetables and herbs should be finely diced.

DELIGHTFUL DEVILED EGGS

10 hard boiled eggs halved for 16-18 deviled eggs

Smoked Salmon & Capers Ingredients

3 tablespoons cooked egg yolk, mashed

4 egg white halves

2 tablespoons smoked salmon, finely diced

1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese

1 tablespoon capers, finely diced

1 tablespoon red onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Salt and freshly grated pepper

Turkey Ham & Dill Ingredients

3 tablespoons cooked egg yolk, mashed

4 egg white halves

3 tablespoons turkey ham or ham, finely diced

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon fresh dill, finely diced

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 

Roasted Red Pepper & Chives Ingredients

3 tablespoons cooked egg yolks, mashed

4 egg white halves

2 tablespoons roasted red bell pepper, finely diced

1 tablespoon chives, finely diced

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 

Bacon & Jalapeño Pepper Ingredients

3 tablespoons cooked egg yolks, mashed

4-6 egg white halves

3 tablespoons cooked bacon, finely diced

1 tablespoon jalapeño pepper, finely diced

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon paprika

Directions

Place the eggs in a large pot of cold water. Bring the water to a rolling boil for 30 seconds or so. Turn off the heat. Cover the pot and let the eggs sit for 10-12 minutes. Remove eggs and immediately place in a large bowl filled with ice and water. Cool eggs 5 minutes and peel under cold running water.

Pat eggs dry with a paper towel. Cut each egg in half and place the yolk in a bowl. Arrange the egg white halves on a tray. You might not use all the egg white halves (I had two left over because I like a lot of filling in my deviled eggs). Mash the yolks with a fork.

Smoked Salmon & Capers: Add 3 tablespoons of mashed egg yolk to the salmon, diced capers, diced red onion, mascarpone cheese, and mayonnaise to a small bowl. Blend together, mashing the yolk with the other ingredients. Add a shake of salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning. Add a little more mayonnaise if you like your filling more loose.

Use a teaspoon to fill four egg white halves with the salmon mixture. (Some cooks use a plastic storage or pastry bag to pipe in the filling. I think it leaves too much in the bag.) You should have a few pinches of salmon and capers left to garnish the top of the eggs.

Clean your bowl and utensils. Repeat the process with the other varieties, mixing together the egg yolk, meat, vegetable or herbs with the mayonnaise and seasonings. Add salt if needed.

Garnish each type with a pinch of its own special ingredients (turkey ham and dill, roasted red pepper and chives, and bacon and jalapeño). Cover the tray of eggs with foil and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Do you have a good story about a family recipe or an original culinary creation? I would like to share it with readers. Send me an e-mail with details about the dish and how you learned to cook it.

Phyllis Armstrong is a retired broadcast journalist living in the Burnt Mills area of Silver Spring. She regularly writes restaurant profiles for Patch.

This story was originally published on Colesville Patch.