Rebuild from Depression Blog

Mom writes:

Deviled eggs are one of the finest make-ahead foods you can find. Refrigerated in an airtight container, they will last 5-7 days. Add them to your composed salad plates, lunch boxes; use them as a nutritious snack or as a party platter.

Serves: #6-8

Ingredients

1 dozen shelled hard boiled eggs
½ cup good quality mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Tamari sauce

Steps

1. Slice each egg in half and carefully remove the yolks to a bowl. If one or more of the whites falls apart, simply toss it in with the yolks for mashing. No one will be the wiser!

2. Arrange the whites on a platter or in the storage container of your choice. It's best to start out with a container that requires the whites to be touching. That way, they won't slide around and get messy when you move the container in and out of the refrigerator.

3. Mash the yolks. I like to use a pastry blender for this -- it is quick and efficient.

4. Make a well in the mashed egg yolks to receive the wet ingredients.

5. Into that well place the mayonnaise, mustard and Tamari sauce. Mix them together before incorporating into the larger mass of yolks.

6. Mix all well.

7. Taste. You are checking for flavor and texture. You may want more liquid. If so, add yogurt or milk. You may want more salt or mustard. Add sparingly and taste. You can always add more, so don't rush the process.

8. Spoon the yolk mixture into the white shells and garnish with a sprinkling of paprika.

9. Refrigerate.

Variations:

To the yolk mixture add
a. minced green olives
b. minced fresh chives
c. crumbled cottage cheese
d. shredded crab
e. finely minced clams

Tips for Hard Boiling Eggs

For many folks, hard boiling eggs happens only at Easter...for the big hunt. And most of those eggs end up in the dumpster. What a pity! Eggs are such a reliable and inexpensive protein, we need to use them more efficiently. The biggest frustration with hard boiled eggs is that they often don't peel easily and about one quarter of the white gets tossed with the shells. This can be avoided. Follow these steps for 99% success.

1. Select older eggs. If you raise your own, you can be accurate about this. Eggs that have been in the frig for two weeks or more are good candidates for boiling. With a fresh egg, the membrane just inside the shell will NOT let go of the white. Therein lies the problem!

2. Select a pot that will hold the eggs in a single layer. This insures more uniform cooking.

3. Fill the pot with enough water to fully cover the eggs. More is better than less.

4. Bring water to a full boil and then lower the eggs one at a time using a long-handled slotted spoon. Be gentle. The eggs can crack, releasing a stream of eggs white into the water. Save that adventure for Chinese egg flower soup.

5. Turn the heat to simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes.

6. Tote the pot to the sink (carefully) and drain out the hot water.

7. Turn on the cold faucet and let the cold water run over the eggs for a couple of minutes. The temperature change helps to "shock" the egg shell and membrane into releasing the egg.

8. Crack the egg on the edge of the sink: gently, all around.

9. Peel the egg under running water. The water facilitates the shelling process and rinses off those microscopic bits of shell that remain after peeling.

10. Enjoy!