The deviled egg, frowned upon by many for its unhealthy image, is usually one of the first items to disappear at any cocktail party or picnic. I know I can personally slide an embarrassing quantity of these tasty canoes into my gob, probably putting the likes of Cool Hand Luke to shame.. So to the naysayers………..get out of the way, and let the rest of us enjoy.
I begin by hard boiling eggs. Now, there are as many different schools of thoughts on how to hard boil the perfect egg as there are hairs on a dog, so we are not going to get into that here. The only wisdom I will offer, is the term “hard boil” is used to describe the cooked egg, not how high of heat you use or how violently the water bubbles. The other thing I would suggest to you if it is not already a part of your routine, is to shock your eggs after cooking. So take it or leave it, use whatever method you find works best for you, just cook some eggs.
Everyone's favorite egg treat spiced up with curry and red pepper.
- 12 eggs hard boiled and peeled
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of salt
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Halve your eggs arranging the whites on a serving plate. Wipe your knife with a clean wet cloth before slicing each egg, this will prevent the yolks from sticking to the knife and avoid tearing the egg white. A cloth napkin on your platter will offer some color and keep the eggs from sliding around.
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Crumble the yolks into a bowl.
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In a medium sized mixing bowl add mayonnaise to the crumbled yolks and stir. Look for a smooth creamy consistency. Add more mayo a spoon at a time if needed. Stir the filling as you add more mayonnaise to avoid creating a “soup”. You want the mixture to be creamy yet able to stand up in the egg.
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Add mustard powder, curry powder, chili powder, black pepper and a scant pinch of salt. I tend to rely more on what the texture looks like, and the flavor of the mixture more than the exact amounts called for.
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Let the filling stand for about 15 minutes to “tighten up” and stir again, giving you a last chance to adjust ingredients for the texture and flavor.
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Pipe the filling into the egg whites using a disposable decorating bag or a plastic bag with the corner cut off. You can also use a spoon but I think you get a better overall result and actually less mess using a bag.
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Finish the plate of eggs with a dusting of chili powder, a grind of fresh pepper, and some chopped herbs or fresh chives.
I like my little devils to have a good “pow” but you can adjust the spices to your taste. I do caution to go light on the salt as it seems to intensify.
Also all spices are not created equal, so depending on the quality and age of the product you use, the amounts may need to be adjusted.
So put these Curried Devilish Eggs out at a party and keep an eye on the known “skeptics” in the crowd………….I think you will find out where all the eggs go………….. and that’s no yolk.
