Classic Deviled Eggs

Summer barbecue season is slowly coming to an end. I've been pretending that this is not the case, but the night up here have been getting cold and even on a clear evening, I end up grilling in a sweatshirt and long pants. I'm trying to squeeze in as many summer foods as I can before bolognese and soup season comes back in full force. This means there have been lots of grilling sessions and, of course, summer side dishes.

Earlier this summer I made deviled eggs with capers and dill, which I absolutely loved. However, dill isn't always available where I am, so I've reverted to classic deviled eggs, with the old fashioned ingredients. I don't have any fancy piping devices in my kitchen, so the filling isn't placed into the egg white all that perfectly, but the taste is what really matters (especially if I am just making this at home and nobody other than my roommates will see). Top your deviled eggs with some chopped scallions or chives for an added color splash.

Recipe from Fine Cooking
Makes 8 halves

4 large eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
a splash of hot sauce, to taste
salt and peper, to season
paprika, for garnish
thinly sliced chives of scallions, for garnish

You can cook your eggs 2 ways: boiling or steaming. For boiling, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, cook eggs for 11 minutes and then remove from hot water. For steaming, place eggs in a steaming basket over boiling water and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the steamer from heat, cover, and let the eggs steam another 5 minutes. With either method, it helps with the peeling if you plunge the eggs in an ice bath once cooked and peel them under a stream of cold water.

Once your eggs have cooked and cooled, slice them in half lengthwise, remove the yolks*, and place them in a bowl. Mash the egg yolks with the back of a spoon. Add the mayo, mustard, and hot sauce and mash until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Pipe or spoon the mixture into the hollows of the egg whites. Garnish with paprika and chives.

*My mom's trick to removing yolks: once sliced, turn the egg upside down over your bowl (so the yolk is facing the bowl). Gently squeeze the the egg where the yolk is and it falls out on its own. Pin It Now!