Graduation season is one of the most cocktail party-heavy times of the year. People think for some reason now that they’re graduating it’s time to “class it up.”
Unfortunately, that means you will probably have to bring an appetizer or other party-friendly dish to all of your friends’ end-of-the-year gatherings.
But fear not, deviled eggs are a quick and simple crowd pleaser that are almost guaranteed to make your hostess happy.
You can even make them from the dorms, utilizing the hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise and mustard available in most dining halls.
Obviously you need to start this dish out with the eggs. In my experience, the highest-quality eggs ““ and the most chicken-friendly ““ are from chickens that are organic, grain-fed and cage-free. They’re about $2 more for a dozen, but since I don’t actually eat them very often it’s affordable for me.
If you don’t want to spend the extra cash, regular eggs are fine.
Make sure that when you buy eggs you open up the carton and check to see if there are any that are cracked or deformed ““ if there are, pick a different carton or swap out the ones that aren’t perfect. When you get the eggs home, inspect them for cracks one more time before you use them.
The risk of eggs being contaminated with salmonella is quite small (about one in 30,000), but a cracked or weak shell can increase the likelihood of contamination.
You can make as many deviled eggs as you want ““ you get two for every whole egg you use ““ but for this recipe I decided to make a dozen.
When making deviled eggs you need to start off by hard-boiling them, meaning that the yolk is firm and fully cooked.
This is an important difference to note because soft-boiled eggs are a very popular breakfast item, especially in France, and they will not work for this recipe.
To boil the eggs, start off by putting six in the bottom of a pot and covering them in cold water. Then put the pot over medium-high heat and wait several minutes until it begins to boil.
Once the water is boiling, put the lid on the pot, turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for no less than 15 minutes. When they are done take them out of the pot and rinse them in cold water and refrigerate them promptly.
There isn’t really a way to tell if the eggs are fully hard-boiled other than cracking them open.
I’m very confident in my ability to cook them, but if you aren’t you might want to make an extra and test it out before you take the other eggs out of the pot.
Once the eggs are cooked and have cooled down in the refrigerator, you need to do the most frustrating part of this dish ““ peel them.
Everyone has a trick for peeling hard-boiled eggs, and none of them really work. I find the easiest way is to lightly crack them until the shell is covered in small cracks, then carefully lift off the shell in small pieces while running them under water.
Once the eggs have been peeled you have to slice them in half from top to bottom, then carefully scoop out the yolk in the center and save it in a mixing bowl.
Once all of your eggs have been halved and de-yolked it’s time to mix up the filling.
Add about a quarter cup of mayonnaise, a tablespoon of whole grain mustard, and salt and pepper to the yolks and mix thoroughly.
If you don’t like the taste or consistency chances are you need more mayo, so add it in slowly until you are happy with the result.
When you have a good mixture there are two ways of putting it back into the egg: a spoon and piping.
Spooning it back on is easy enough but if you want the eggs to look really classy you can carefully put the mixture into the bottom corner of a plastic bag, cut off the corner, and use it to squeeze the mix back into the egg.
Once that is done I like to top them off with a bit of paprika to add a bit of extra flavor and enhance the presentation.
They should be eaten within about a day after you make them, and they should be refrigerated and covered until you’re ready to take them to a party.
How do you peel hard-boiled eggs? E-mail Pesce at apesce@media.ucla.edu.