Moose - Deviled eggs : 50 recipes from simple to sassy

For Rob,
who knew the job
was dangerous
when he took it

T HE H ARVARD C OMMON P RESS
535 A LBANY S TREET
B OSTON , M ASSACHUSETTS 02118
www.harvardcommonpress.com

Copyright 2004 Debbie Moose
Photographs copyright 2004 by Duane Winfield
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in China

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Moose, Debbie.
Deviled eggs : 50 recipes from simple to sassy / Debbie Moose.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-55832-272-8 (hc : alk. paper)
1. Cookery (Eggs) 2. Eggs. I. Title.
TX745.M66 2004
641.6'75--dc22
2003022303

ISBN-13: 978-1-55832-272-1

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Book design by Deborah Kerner/Dancing Bears Design
Photographs by Duane Winfield
Food styling by Megan Fawn Schlow
Egg timers courtesy of LUX Products Corporation

Many dedicated folks offered up their taste buds in support of this book, sampling and critiquing deviled egg recipes that, in some cases, must have made them think I'd lost my mind. If it was a brave man who first ate an oyster, it was a just-as-brave person who first ate a chocolate deviled egg.

Huge thank-yous go to my eaters in Raleigh, North Carolina:

• Anthony Nance, Shelly Kramer, and the other hair stylists (and customers who were unable to flee when I walked in with eggs) at The Elan Group;
• the features department of the News & Observer newspaper;
• Martha Waggoner, Sue Wilson, and their compatriots at the Raleigh news bureau of the Associated Press;
• Sheri Green and her fellow staff members at Facility Planning and Construction Management, Wake County Public School System;
• my husband's hungry co-workers at the North Carolina Department of Transportation's Business Systems Improvement Project (yeah, it's a computer geek thing);
• assorted friends and relatives: Lynne Attix, Clara Hager, Becky Westmoreland, Elizabeth Gant, Jo Ann Williford, Karen Megna, Tom Attaway, Neighbor Bill and his buddy Tank, Carol Vatz, Joel Rosch, Jacob Rosch, and Joel Vatz;
• Jan Dorsey at the North Carolina Egg Association, who was a fount of information and assistance.

I'm grateful to those who kindly allowed me to share their recipes in this book: Ana Sortun of Oleana restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Ben Barker of Magnolia Grill in Durham, North Carolina, and his publisher, the University of North Carolina Press in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Scott Jones and Todd Erickson of Gourmet a go-go in Dallas, Texas (and their helpful publicist Suzanne Gentry); the American Egg Board; and the California Avocado Commission.

How many ways can I say "thank you"? I have to think of one for my e-mail pal Sharon Christian Aderman in Topeka, Kansas, for her decorating tips. Nancy Olson of Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh (the best bookstore this side of Alpha Centauri) connected me with Sharon and deserves a big load of thanks.

And more thank-yous to:

• editor Pam Hoenig and everyone at The Harvard Common Press;
• Alicia Ross for her advice and support, and for hooking me up with my energetic agent, Carla Glasser of the Betsy Nolan Literary Agency;
• Rose Dosti and Mimi Gormezano for their encouragement.

Finally, I want to thank the Dr. Phil show, the Turner Classic Movies channel, Jimmy Buffett, and the geniuses of Motown for providing entertainment to devil eggs by.

Deviled eggs are the perfect food. The springy blandness of the whites contrasts perfectly in taste, texture, and color with any filling. There's just enough fat involved to coat the tongue and satisfy the soul. My grandmother created deviled eggs with a filling as silky smooth as whipped cream that had an interesting tart flavor from a combination of vinegar and mustard. For a chunkier bite, add minced items, such as pickles or olives, and less mayo. Go rich by adding blue cheese or caviar, or fire up the afterburners with chiles or hot sauce or both. The range of flavors is practically endless.

On Sunday dinner tables, at family reunions, and at church potlucks, there may be more than one kind of deviled egg being offered up. Hungry folks stake out the plates from those cooks known for the finest deviled eggs, even daring to sneak one or two eggs before grace is said. And a cook is proud (although she has the good manners not to show it) if her plate empties before the competition's.

Deviled eggs have been a favorite take-along dish because most cooks have the necessary ingredients at home. They're simple and quick. Really, if you can boil water, you can have a plate of deviled eggs within half an hour. Their flavor improves with a few hours (or up to a day) in the refrigerator, so you can make them ahead and be ready to go.

When it is possible to find deviled eggs in restaurants, they tend to be categorized as salads or side dishes. But deviled eggs can take on many roles. Add caviar or smoked salmon to the fill-ing, or pipe it through a cake-decorating tube to give a fancy look, and you have an elegant appetizer. Put them next to a hearty salad or include them as part of a vegetable plate, and they become a filling light brunch. With meat-free stuffings, they're a great option for vegetarian repasts.

Few things on the table are as satisfying as a cool, creamy deviled egg, especially on a summer day as hot as Hades.

The food phrase "to devil" means to add something spicy and/or hot to the dish. So deviled eggs, technically, should have some zip or a little something from Satan's pantry. When using non-spicy ingredients, the results should be called stuffed eggs, if strictly following food lingo. Most people look at the whole flock as deviled eggs, and that's what I'll call them, too. But flame-free doesn't mean boring.

To guide you as you crack the mysteries of the deviled egg, the 50 recipes in this book will cover the devils you know and the devils you don't.

You may ask: Why deviled eggs, and why now? A single bite of these tempting treats will answer the questions. Now grab your pitchforks and prepare for boarding.

First, some proper terminology. In this book, pre-deviled eggs are called "hard cooked," not "hard boiled." Only film noir detectives are hard boiled. You should never actually boil an egg, unless you want rubbery whites and greenish, tough yolks. Why? It's the miracle of chemistry. The longer and more violently you heat the proteins of the egg, the tighter they cling together and the more water they squeeze out. Hence, that bubbling boil yields eggs as dry as toast. Turning up the heat also allows eggs to fall victim to the hideous Green Yolk Phenomenon. You've seen itthat unappealing olive-drab tinge to an otherwise innocent yolk. The color comes from iron in the yolk combining with sulfur in the white to produce iron sulfide. The longer and hotter the egg cooks, the greater the chance for this reaction to occur.

Are you getting the message yet? Be gentle.