Not Your Average Easter Eggs

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or you know, aren’t an East Coast elitist food snob), you know that deviled eggs are trendy. But you couldn’t show up to Easter Brunch with just plain old deviled eggs, now could you?

No, you couldn’t. But never fear, chef Adam Carpenter of Jasper’s Corner Tap and Kitchen in San Francisco has three original recipes for deviled eggs: one that uses the season’s bounty (spring peas!), one that gets creative with a classic recipe, and one that is just right for ESers (bacon!)

Deviled Eggs – Basic Recipe

8 large eggs
2 T Salt
2 T White vinegar
1 quart water (to cover eggs by 1 inch)

Put eggs in pot or sauce pan and completely cover with cold water over the top of the eggs.

Add the salt and white vinegar.

Place lid on pan and set your burner to high.

Once the water boils, turn off the burner and leave the pot on the hot burner.

Let eggs sit in hot water for 15 minutes.

Pour off hot water and add ice and cold water to cool the eggs.

Wait 20 min or so for the eggs to cool completely.

Peel by gently rolling the eggs on the counter to break the shells.

Then peel while holding under cold running water.

Cut hard boiled eggs in half length wise, remove yolks and reserve for the filling.

Place egg whites, cut side up, on a plate, with a towel to soak up the extra water.

 And now for the fillings…

 

1. Sweet Pea and Crab Deviled Eggs

1 cup shucked peas (from sugar snap peas)
2 T parsley
2 T mint leaves
1T crème fraiche (sour cream could be substituted)
3T salt for blanching
2T reserved blanching water (if needed)

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½ cup crab meat (sifted through for shells)
½ t minced tarragon
½ T olive oil
½ lemon, juiced

Leaves from celery for garnish

Bring to the 1 quart of water and 3 T salt.

Cook peas for 2 minutes, then add the herbs and cook for 1 more minute.

When cooked strain and add to ice water to shock.

Next puree peas in a small blender till smooth.

If needed add a little reserved liquid from the blanching water to help the mixture become smooth.

Finish the puree with the crème fraiche.

When done combine 1/3 cup filling with 2/3 cup egg base and cool over night.

The next day combine the crab, tarragon, oil and lemon in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Set aside.

To complete the egg fill one white with the pea filling and top with a good amount of crab salad, then top with a leaf from the center of a celery stalk.

 

2. Romesco Deviled Eggs

2 roma tomatoes
3 larger shallots
3 Spanish-style peppers (such as padrons or pequillos)
4 cloves of garlic
½ cup of bread
¼ c almonds
2 T sherry vinegar
4 T Extra virgin olive oil
1 T smoked paprika
1t togarashi spice
Salt pepper to taste

—
1T smoked paprika
Minced chives
Whole almonds, for garnish

Oven roast the tomatoes, shallots, peppers, garlic, and bread with 2 T olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Let cool and remove the peels of the peppers and tomatoes.

In a small blender, using a slow speed, puree all the ingredients in the first recipe.

It is ok not to have a completely smooth texture.

After the sauce is done combine 1/3 cup romecso sauce and mix with 2/3 cup egg base & 1t. paprika, then taste for seasoning.

Refrigerate overnight, then add to egg white and garnish with chives and a whole almond.

 

3. B.L.T. Deviled Eggs

1 cup of sun dried tomatoes
2 T basil leaves
½ cup white wine
½ cup boiling water
2 T tomato paste

—-

1/3 cup tomato base
2/3 cup egg base
2 T bacon bits
6-8 shards of iceberg lettuce

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a glass bowl and let sit for 1 hour.

Remove the basil and discard.

Remove the tomato (save the liquid) and place in a food processor; add the tomato paste.

Puree on low until smooth.

If needed, add a little of the liquid from the tomatoes to make the filling smoother.

Season and set aside to cool.

When cool, add 1/3 cup tomato to 2/3 cup egg base.

To complete the egg place a shard of lettuce in the egg white and place the tomato filling on top.

Garnish with bacon crumbles and you are done.

More: Deviled Eggs Gone Wild!