Author: Editor

Tips for creating the perfect deviled eggs

There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to get 12 perfectly formed, perfectly peeled egg white halves to fill with your favorite filling. Deviled eggs aren’t difficult to make, but to achieve picture-perfect deviled eggs, there are a few important things you should keep in mind. 

1. Use Fresh Eggs for Perfect Deviled Eggs –
Use the freshest eggs possible for deviled eggs. As an egg age, air enters the egg through the shell and moisture evaporates, creating an air sac in the blunt end of the egg. This will result in oddly misshapen deviled eggs. The older the egg, the larger the air sac, and the less desirable that egg will be for deviling.

2. Cook a Few Extra Eggs for Perfect Deviled Eggs
Cook a few extra eggs and add the extra yolks to your filling mixture to ensure there’s enough filling to pile all your egg white halves high. This also gives you more options to choose the 12 best-looking egg white halves to fill.

3. Make Sure the Filling is Smooth  for Perfect Deviled Eggs
Use a blender or food processor to make the filling super smooth and then pipe it into the egg whites with a pastry bag and piping tip for a fancy presentation.

4. Use Cold water-

Cover the eggs with cold water, not hot. When cooking hard-boiled eggs, we want the water covering the eggs to heat from cold to boiling. By starting with cold water and not hot, the temperature rises slower, preventing the risk of shells cracking and promoting even cooking.

5. How to peel your eggs

When peeling your eggs, gently crack around the entire egg. Then, roll the egg in between your hands to break the membrane between the egg and shell. With this trick, the egg should peel easily.

6. Creatively Garnish

Garnish is where you can play around to make the eggs visually appealing. Try out some paprika, which is pretty standard, use some chopped wiri wiri peppers, chive, or scallions for a colorful look.

7. Marinate eggs for a special color

If you want to get really creative, marinate the cooked eggs in vegetable juice to add color and flavor to the white. Beet juice or carrot juice are both great options or forgo the vegetables and add a splash of food coloring of your choice.

Baked Custard

Ingredients

4 cups milk

6 large eggs

2/3 cups sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer over medium-low heat until bubbles form around the edges.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and salt.

Once the milk is hot, remove it from the heat. Slowly add the milk to the eggs while whisking vigorously.

Then stir the vanilla into the custard mixture.

Pour the custard mixture into a 9×13 casserole (or small custard cups) and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Place the baking dish in a large roasting pan and fill the pan with enough water to reach about 1 inch from the top of the baking dish. This is called a water bath.

Bake for 45 minutes (35 minutes for custard cups) or until the custard has just set (it can still be a little loose).

Cool before serving and refrigerate if not serving the custard warm.

Breakfast Cup

Ingredients

2 eggs

30 ml milk

2 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp chopped parsley (optional)

pinch dried basil or Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Beat together eggs, milk, and seasonings in a microwaveable mug. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, turning it back slightly to vent.

Microwave on Medium-High (70%) for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Remove plastic and stir. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley; cover and let stand 1 minute.

Tips

After beating eggs, add any of the following: chopped green onion or chopped green, red, or yellow peppers, or chopped cooked vegetables or meats.

Spicy Chicken Quiche with Potato Crust

Ingredients

3 large Irish potatoes

2 tbsp butter, melted

2 cups egg whites, beaten

1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 wiri wiri pepper, deseeded

1/2 cup whole milk

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

dash paprika (optional)

Directions

Peel and grate potatoes. Mix well with melted butter and ¼ cup of egg whites. Press evenly over the bottom and sides of greased 9” (23 cm) pie plate to form a crust. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes.

Remove crust from oven and reduce temperature to 350°F (180°C). Sprinkle chicken, cheese, and wiri wiri peppers evenly over the crust. Whisk together the remaining egg whites, milk, garlic, and seasonings; pour into crust. Bake 40-45 minutes or until the knife inserted in the center comes out clean.