Oregano Deviled Eggs

Sometimes, simple really is the best. And wow are these deviled eggs simple. Way back in August, when this blog was just getting started, this entry appeared: http://thebestdeviledeggs.blogspot.com/2007/08/deviled-eggs-way-i-like-them.html We learned then that the complete basic template for deviled eggs always contains sweet pickle relish, and if you feel like something's missing, it's almost always sweet pickle relish. Well today, we create an addendum to that - DRAIN the sweet pickle relish. Otherwise, you run the risk of having runny deviled egg filling, a fate worse than having to listen to a Celine Dion CD.

So here's how I drain sweet pickle relish for deviled egg recipes. Very simply, I wrap paper towel around a small bowl, then place the amount of relish I want to use on the paper towel, hovering over the bowl. The excess liquid drains right out (maybe 3 or 4 minutes) and I just put the relish into my egg yolk mixture! Simple as that!

And this recipe drains the sweet pickle relish. Nice move!

Beyond that, this recipe is basically just oregano. Does it fall flat? No way! Is it complicated? Not on your life! But is it good? Well, yes, in the same sense that the smell in your clothes after a meal at a red-sauce joint is good. That smell is oregano, and these eggs have it.

Here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish, well-drained
1 teaspoon flake oregano
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1. Crumble egg yolks until finely ground.
2. Add mayonnaise, well-drained relish, mustard, oregano, and salt and pepper.
3. Spoon mixture into egg whites.
4. Allow to chill for at least one hour for flavors to blend.


Above: adding the mayonnaise, drained pickle relish, and mustard.

Above: adding the oregano, salt, and pepper

Above: the finished product. Not much to look at, unfortunately.

The taste of these eggs is very good. They are amazingly simple to make. But they just don't look very good. The best deviled egg recipe would include SOME sort of garnish for the top of the eggs. The most pedestrian of these garnishes is paprika, but just NOTHING? What a way to make a great recipe be incomplete. As they say, you eat as much with your eyes as you do with your nose and mouth, and this left my eyes feeling hungry.

Overall: 77 out of 100
Texture: 19 out of 20
Flavor: 17 out of 20
Uniqueness: 15 out of 20 (just 1 unique ingredient makes this score a 15)
Appearance: 7 out of 20
Ease of preparation: 19 out of 20

Comments?

Miss Daisy's Deviled Eggs

"Yes, Miss Daisy!" That's what my relatives said when I made this recipe three or four times while they were holiday houseguests. Seriously, each time I would make this recipe, my relatives would wolf down the finished product within minutes like Peter Griffin ate soup in the Family Guy episode where he found out he was retarded. Just inhaled the eggs. I'm not even sure they chewed.

This recipe really isn't anything complicated or difficult. It's just very, very good. Simple, standard, even a bit pedestrian. The "unique" additions are pretty basic, too - just Worcestershire sauce and some green onions. But as was noted months ago when this blog began, anytime a deviled egg recipe seems like it's missing something, it's missing pickle relish. And sure enough, Miss Daisy includes pickle relish in this recipe.

Here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chilled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon well-drained pickle relish
paprika for garnish

1. Mash egg yolks until smooth.
2. Combine yolks, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper and mix until smooth.
3. Stir in onion and pickle relish.
4. Spoon mixture into egg whites.
5. Sprinkle with paprika.


Above: adding the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard

Above: adding the salt and pepper


Above: adding the onions and relish; and the finished product

A couple of interesting notes about this recipe. First, Miss Daisy specifies that the hard-boiled eggs be chilled prior to cutting them. So I did this, and the egg whites seemed to be a little more firm than usual. I didn't prefer them this way, but they were not bad or anything - just a different texture that I wouldn't necessarily duplicate. Second, Miss Daisy specifies that the pickle relish be "well-drained." I tried both ways, and amazingly, draining the relish DOES make a difference. The filling is just a little too runny with undrained relish, whereas it's perfect with well-drained relish.

Here are the scores:

Overall: 79 out of 100
Texture: 19 out 20
Flavor: 18 out of 20
Uniqueness: 12 out of 20
Appearance: 13 out of 20
Ease of preparation: 19 out of 20

Comments?

Bricktop's Deviled Eggs

Recently I was flying through Nashville, TN, and had a delay of a few hours. So I called an old friend and we went to dinner at a West End restaurant she recommended, Bricktop's (http://www.bricktops.com/). Bricktop's is a four-location chain restaurants with locations in Nashville, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Naples, FL. Although Bricktop's is often described as an "American bistro," my dinner companion repeatedly compared it to Houston's, a chain with which I am not familiar.

When I noticed deviled eggs on the appetizer menu, I immediately ordered up a plate and went to town reviewing them in my head and cajoling my capable server into sharing the recipe. Although the recipe he shared was proportioned for "80 eggs," I've scaled it down for 6 eggs.

The deviled egg recipe itself is relatively pedestrian, although it definitely is good. What makes this recipe is the fact that the deviled eggs are served on strips of applewood smoked bacon cooked with brown sugar. Although Bricktop's serves them on entire strips of bacon, I trimmed the bacon to make deviled-egg-sized pieces.

Here is the recipe (as adapted from what the Bricktop's server told me)

6 hard-boiled eggs

3 strips applewood bacon

1/8 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon French's mustard

1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 tablsepoon sweet pickle relish

1/2 tablespoon scallions, chopped

1 dash Tabasco saouce

A couple of specifics about the recipe: the server said SPECIFICALLY that French's mustard was to be used. Further, he stated that the measurements weren't as important as making sure there was a 3:1 proportion of mayonnaise to mustard. I have used specific measurements, but as with all deviled egg recipes, the filling can be altered to preferred taste and consistency. Lastly, the server claimed that Bricktop's makes its own sweet pickle relish by pickling its own cucumbers. Whether this is true or not, I used standard sweet pickle relish and didn't notice any difference.

Sprinkle brown sugar on applewood bacon strips and bake in oven at 400 F for 12-15 minutes. Bacon should be placed on a wire rack over a cookie sheet, so that the drippings fall into the cookie sheet. Then, blot bacon dry to remove as much grease as possible. Slice each bacon slice into 4 equal pieces.

Combine egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, parsley, relish, scallions, and Tabasco sauce. Mix well and then fill egg white halves. Allow deviled eggs to chill in refrigerator for at least an hour so the flavor combine. When ready to serve deviled eggs, place each deviled egg onto a warm piece of bacon.

Above: adding the mayonnaise, mustard, and parsley to the egg yolks.

Above: adding the relish, scallions, and Tabasco sauce to the egg yolks.

Above: the bacon pieces, and the finished product.

Here are the scores:

76 out of 100
Texture: 18 out of 20

Flavor: 19 out of 20

Uniqueness: 19 out of 20 (bumped up 5 points for serving the deviled eggs on the bacon)

Appearance: 16 out of 20

Ease of preparation: 4 out of 20 (dropped 5 points for the difficulty in making the bacon)

Comments?

Parsley and Vinegar Deviled Eggs (Round 1)

The main ingredient in deviled eggs is either mayonnaise or Miracle Whip. It's always intriguing to see which way a recipe will go (I lean toward mayonnaise when only a flavorless base is needed) and this recipe uses Miracle Whip to provide a little bite. But the rest of the flavors - dried parsley, white vinegar, a dash of hot pepper sauce - just aren't strong enough to overpower the tang of the Miracle Whip. Thus, the dominant flavor of these eggs is Miracle Whip.

Here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon each salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry parsley flakes
1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
dash of hot pepper sauce
just less than 1/2 cup Miracle Whip
paprika to garnish

Combine mustard, salt and pepper, parsley, vinegar, hot pepper sauce, and Miracle Whip with mashed egg yolks. Blend well and fill egg white halves with mixture. Garnish with paprika.


Above: adding the dry mustard, salt, and fresh ground pepper


Above: adding the parsley flakes, white vinegar, hot pepper sauce, and Miracle Whip


Above: a coincidentally suitable picture of the final product; just as this picture is blurry and not very good, the appearance of these eggs wasn't that great either

Here are the scores:

Overall: 52 out of 100
Texture: 10 out of 20 (it seemed good when I made it, but eventually they were a little runny)
Flavor: 10 out of 20
Uniqueness: 8 out of 20
Appearance: 7 out of 20
Ease of preparation: 17 out of 20

So this recipe, looking at the scores, was easy to make but was a letdown in every other way. The texture seemed good when I made it, but whereas most eggs "set up" when they chill, these seemed to become a little runnier. The flavor was entirely average, as the Miracle Whip seemed to drown out the parsley, vinegar, hot pepper sauce, etc. Not very unique, and these eggs didn't look too appetizing - almost taking on a grayish tint.

But... a caveat. I messed up when I made these. I made them in a hurry and didn't notice that the base is supposed to be half mayonnaise and half Miracle Whip. So, all these negatives could, conceivably, be my fault. As such, I'm going to try them again. I have a couple of other recipes I have already made and need to post on the blog, so it might be a couple weeks before the "Parsley and Vinegar Deviled Eggs: Round 2" appears, but wait for it. It will be interesting to see the new score compared to this one.

Comments?