"Hot Point" - Portable Deviled Eggs

Recipe (printable PDF)

Firehawks #3

EXCERPT:

At the door, there was another pile, this one of small, green logs. Then she looked more closely. It was a stack of zucchini, most the size of an extremely stout dachshund. A cardboard sign said, Take one home, adopt it for free. Take two… Please! A wag had scribbled (Nonreturnable) along the edge of the sign.

Passing up the offer, they entered the double doors pinned open to allow the cool evening air to circulate. Inside was a blast no smaller than a wildfire.

Denise didn’t know where to look first. Long tables had been lined up throughout the room. The longest ran down the entire side of the hall. Each person who arrived set down a platter, bowl, or something. There were trays of lasagna, several sides of baked salmon, Crock-Pots of what smelled like Swedish meatballs, and another one of chili.

“Hey, Vern,” someone greeted them, “are those your eggs? We’ve been missing them.”

He leaned down to whisper in her ear as they set down the bowls they’d been carrying. “Told you I was famous for them.”

She and Vern had spent part of the afternoon making his famous portable deviled eggs. They’d hard-boiled and peeled cartons of eggs. He’d filled one large bowl with the halved egg whites and then mashed up the yellow yolks with minced shallot, mayo, and an amazing amount of pepper with a dash of hot sauce. They were wonderful! Stick in a couple of serving spoons and set a bottle of paprika to the side, and they were indeed portable. 

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NOTE: Yep, these are my trademark party eggs. I’ve taken them to potlucks, sailing parties, in a chill bag on bicycle rides…

No one agrees on how to hard boil an egg so that it peels easily. But this method is the best I’ve ever found.

Active time: 20 minutes / Cook time: <15 minutes

Ingredients (per dozen eggs)

• Eggs, large (I never make less than a dozen, a couple dozen for potlucks)
• Mayonnaise (I use light, I find full mayo a little too heavy)
• Salt, a dash
• Pepper, go heavy
• Red Tabasco, a medium splash (I’ve tried Sriracha and others, they just don’t have the right zing)
• 1 medium shallot, minced fine
• 2-3 Tbsp. Mango Chutney (optional)
• or 1 ripe avocado, mashed or as guacamole. Add 2 tsp. lemon juice. (optional)

The Instructions

1.     Fill a large pot with water at least 1/2” deeper than a single egg. (After the eggs are added, not yet, the water should cover them by an inch.)

2.     Take eggs out of the fridge at the same time you start heating the water.

3.     Once the water is boiling, lower the eggs into the water and keep at a boil for 12 minutes (10 for small, 14 minutes for jumbos). Roll the eggs around a few times in the first 3 minutes so that the yolk doesn’t end up too far off-center.

4.     While boiling, set up an ice water bath in a large bowl (use lots of ice).

5.     Transfer the eggs into the ice bath for 5-10 minutes with a slotted spoon.

6.     Thump the thick end on the counter to crack the base. Roll on its side against the counter with your palm, applying just enough pressure to crackle the surface. Peel from the thick end to thin to catch the membrane. The shell practically falls off.

7.     Slice in half. Pop the yolks into one container and rest the egg whites in another.

8.     Mash the yolks, then add the mayo and spices. Start a little low on the pepper and hot sauce, you can increase to taste. The real key is the balance of these two, and the answer to the taste not being quite right is almost always adding more pepper.

9.     Keep containers in the fridge or on ice in sealed storage containers. Packaged this way, you can toss them in the drinks cooler until folks are ready to eat. A much safer way to store and serve them than pre-assembled on trays.

10. Stick a couple of teaspoons in the yolks and a tablespoon to fish out egg whites. Set a bottle of paprika beside them. Until you become known for them, you’ll need to add a sign: BYO-Build Your Own Deviled Eggs. (Seriously, people just don’t get it at first.)

Recipe (printable PDF)