Perfect Deviled Eggs

Merry Christmas!! I have taken a couple weeks off of Birdbelly so I could get my holiday shopping done, but I couldn’t let my favorite holiday come and go without sharing with all of you a dish that dons all of our holiday tables, not just Christmas. The Perfect Deviled Egg.

My dad has been making deviled eggs as long as I can remember- for any gathering. Not just a holiday treat: family picnics, football parties, birthdays, you name it. If there are more than just the “Fab Five” around (that’s what we call my mom, dad, sister, husband, and I- I know we’re cute), then there are most definitely deviled eggs around. Now, I have loved these deviled eggs for as long as I can remember, my sister-not so much. She only recently crossed over to the love of anything made with Mayo. So anytime dad may say “girls we don’t need to make the eggs,” I have her to back me up and plea our case for why we most definitely NEED eggs for whatever the occasion may be.

Deviled Eggs are so easy to whip up, and even if you aren’t a deviled egg fan, you will quickly notice they are the first thing gone at a holiday table. Just ask my husband, who watches that egg tray intently as it goes around the table to make sure people aren’t taking too many. He doesn’t want them to run out before he gets his hands on some. That’s why I always make a few extra “for the chef” and I normally let him taste test them. 🙂

So let’s get started, the Perfect Deviled Eggs, perfected by my dad over years of gatherings and only slightly modified by me. (He still approves 🙂 ).

The Process:

In a large pot place eggs* at the bottom. Fill with water, one inch over the top of the eggs and place on the burner-set on high.

*Eggs should be at least a week to two weeks old. Fresh eggs are very hard to peel and they won’t look as nice in the end.

Cook until the water comes to a rapid boil. Boil for one minute, then turn off the heat and put the lid on. Cook for 15 minutes for large eggs (13 minutes for medium eggs, 17 minutes for extra large eggs).

Drain the hot water and fill the pot back up with cold water, let the cold water run through the pan. This will stop the cooking process of the eggs. I usually take it a step further and put a bowl of ice cubes in the pot as well.

Now it’s time to peel. Keeping the pot full of water, and eggs in the sink, and peel your eggs. Start by gently cracking the bottom part of the eggs. The fat part, not the point. This is where the air pocket will be, making it easier for you to get under the thin membrane around the egg. Then gently roll the egg side to side to make tiny cracks all over the outside.

Next get just under the membrane, on the bottom of the egg where the air pocket is, and gently peel back the shell. Getting just under the membrane is the key to a perfect peel. The thin membrane will hold the cracked shell together and they will peel in long strips.

If at any point the shell is resisting, just dunk the egg in your pot of water and continue peeling.

Next slice the eggs in half length wise and put in your egg tray. I prefer a Tupperware brand one I got on Amazon, it holds 24 eggs and is perfect for taking the eggs to a party on the go, but any egg plate will work. If you do not have an egg plate, then put paper towels on a regular plate, so the eggs won’t roll around. 

Put all of the yolks in a large glass bowl, then with a fork break them up until they look like small bits of sand.

Put all remaining filling ingredients in the bowl and stir stir stir! I typically use a fork to stir so it continues to break down the egg yolks, but anything is fine, just get the mixture as smooth as possible.

If your mixture looks a little bit thick, add more Mayo one tablespoon at a time.

Next we need to make the eggs pretty, right?! Also, it makes them suuuuper easy to fill. Take a sandwich bag, open it, and place it in a large coffee cup. Folding the edges of the bag around the cup so it doesn’t fall in. Then with a spoon fill the bag with your yolk mixture. Close the bag, and cut the tip of one of the corners off.

Then, pipe the filling into each egg. Start by putting the tip all the way to the bottom of the egg crevace and fill, don’t start over the egg.

Lastly, toppings! I go very traditional. In a small bowl, like a condiment dish, mix 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika (or regular paprika), and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne, mix together. Then, delicately sprinkle the seasonings over each egg, you won’t use all of the seasoning.

There you have it! Years of perfection and lots of happy tummies came to make these Perfect Deviled Eggs what they are today, I hope they don your holiday tables for years to come.

Merry Christmas!

 

Recipe:

xoxo,

birdbelly