Martin's Mother-In-Law's Deviled Eggs

The recently-referenced Atlanta Journal-Constitution column (http://www.accessatlanta.com/living/content/shared-blogs/ajc/tabletalk/entries/2008/04/29/devilish_eggs.html?cxntnid=din043008e) on deviled eggs was interesting in a few ways. First, it showed that deviled eggs are sort of a trend in the vein of culinary kitsch, memoribilia, and "staycations." People are actually sort of into deviled eggs, even though they are hardly new!

But also interesting was that the AJC column also included a series of user-generated comments. Some of these comments went so far as to attempt to describe recipes that the reader himself, or a friend or relative of the reader, had been using for deviled eggs for years. I will try to duplicate some of these recipes as well, testing and grading them here.

An AJC reader named "Martin" described the "wonderful" recipe his Tennessee-bred mother-in-law made. Lots has been said about mothers-in-law, much of it negative, but Martin's mother-in-law's deviled egg recipe doesn't really warrant any negative comments. Unfortunately, with just a couple of exceptions, it doesn't warrant any glowing positive comments either.

Martin's mother-in-law makes a very simple deviled egg recipe. Interestingly, she uses both mayonnaise AND Miracle Whip, which I guess should give the recipe a little bite. Further, she uses some butter, which stiffens up the filling and really does help with the texture. But beyond that, it's just a little yellow mustard, a dash of white vinegar, and she's done. Nothing really unique, nothing to make the eggs special, and absolutely no garnish that would have made the eggs much more visually appealing.

I thought about adding a garnish to this recipe myself. Often, I do slightly change a recipe - add something here or there to step up a recipe, or even combine suggested elements of multiple recipes to create something I think is really special. In fact, the highest-scoring deviled egg recipe ever tried on this blog (the Crispy-Fried Prosciutto Deviled Eggs) came about from a combination of two deviled egg ideas. But I didn't want to mess with Martin's mother-in-law's recipe. I suspect that, like her recipe, Martin's mother-in-law is a sturdy woman, strong in her convictions, but not gussied up at all. I'm thinking a more masculine version of Janet Huckabee, although a more masculine version of Janet Huckabee is basically Hugh Downs. So maybe Janet Reno.

Anyway, here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs
1 heaping tablespoon mayonnaise
1 heaping tablespoon Miracle Whip
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/8 teaspoon white vinegar

1. Crumble egg yolks.
2. Add mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, butter, mustard, and vinegar.
3. Combine well and fill egg white halves.
4. Allow eggs to chill for at least an hour before serving.

Here are the pictures:

Above: adding the mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, and softened butter


Above: adding the mustard and vinegar


Above: the finished product.

As you can tell, these eggs don't LOOK very good. The flavor is alright, good even, but nothing spectacular. Using BOTH mayonnaise and Miracle Whip gives a slight tang to the flavor, but there isn't anything here to stand out. The butter in the filling gives the eggs a sturdier texture, but on the second day, the reviewers said the texture was TOO thick. The lesson is: a little butter adds some sturdiness if you are serving your eggs that day, but later on they are too thick.

Here are the scores:

Overall: 65 out of 100
Texture: 18 out of 20 (I like the butter even if the second-day reviewers didn't)
Flavor: 10 out of 20
Uniqueness: 12 out of 100 (gets 4 more points for both mayo and Miracle Whip)
Appearance: 7 out of 100 (really needs a garnish - badly)
Ease of preparation: 18 out of 100

Comments?

Parsley and Vinegar Deviled Eggs (Round 2)

I originally tested this recipe on January 6 (http://thebestdeviledeggs.blogspot.com/2008/01/parsley-and-vinegar-deviled-eggs.html) and made an error. This recipe called for half mayonnaise and half Miracle Whip, and I used all Miracle Whip. Since then, I've taken some classes in basic reading fundamentals, and I was able to successfully test this recipe AGAIN, this time actually following the recipe.

And the difference was noticeable. Whereas in the original recipe, the Miracle Whip became the dominant flavor, in the redo the Miracle Whip just provided a little tang and the mayonnaise provided the rest of the substance. That allowed the other ingredients - the parsley, the vinegar, and the hot sauce - to stand out a little more.

But the change didn't make this recipe "great." It's adequate - in fact, it was VERY popular with the tasters when I made it - but it's just nothing special.

Here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in half
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 each salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry parsley flakes
1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
couple dashes hot pepper sauce (to taste)
just less than 1/4 cup mayonnaise
just less than 1/4 cup Miracle Whip
paprika, to garnish

1. Mash yolks with a fork until crumbly.
2. Add mayonnaise and Miracle whip a little at a time until the yolk mixture if of a paste consistency.
3. Add dry mustard, salt, pepper, and parsley and mix with fork.
4. Add vinegar and hot pepper sauce.
5. Fill egg white halves.
6. Sprinkle with paprika to garnish.
7. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Above: adding the mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, and dry mustard

Above: adding the salt, fresh ground pepper, and parsley flakes.

Above: adding the white vinegar, the hot sauce, and the finished product.

The texture and flavor were improved, but everything else remains the same. A slight bump in score, but not a lot. And I'm so goddamn tired of seeing paprika as a garnish of deviled eggs (it's a lazy garnish - just sprinkle, nothing else required) that I vow to make five consecutive recipes that use ANYTHING OTHER THAN PAPRIKA as the garnish.

Here are the scores:

Overall: 58 out of 100
Texture: 13 out of 20 (held up better with mayonnaise used appropriately)
Flavor: 13 out of 20
Uniqueness: 8 out of 20
Appearance: 7 out of 20 (I've had enough of paprika as the garnish - see above)
Ease of preparation: 17 out of 20

Comments?

Grandpa's Angry Deviled Eggs

This recipe was sent to me along with a little story about its name. Apparently, someone's "Grandpa" was a mean old coot that frightened all the kids. But Grandpa was also a helluva cook, and one of his favorite recipes was for his "Angry Deviled Eggs."

The story continued that the Angry Deviled Egg recipe reflected Grandpa's personality. Lots of fire and anger, sometimes hard to take, but ultimately tolerable to those who give him a chance. What makes Grandpa's deviled eggs "angry"? I guess it's the large amount of prepared horseradish. Or maybe the accompanying story. But I went into the test of Grandpa's Angry Deviled Eggs with high hopes, because the story accompanying the recipe was so much more memorable than the standard recipe I receive.

Here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in half
slightly less than 1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 to 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon pepper
paprika for garnish

1. Mash egg yolks until smooth.
2. Add all ingredients and blend until smooth.
3. Fill eggs with filling.
4. Sprinkle with paprika as desired.
5. Let eggs sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour so that flavors will blend.


Above: adding mayonnaise, horseradish, and sugar

Above: adding yellow mustard, white vinegar, and salt


Above: adding the dry mustard, the pepper, and a shot of the finished products

I found two things interesting about this recipe, beyond the accompanying story. First, the addition of sugar into a recipe with a LOT of horseradish and described as "angry." But the sugar really does make a difference! You can slightly taste it, and it cuts the pungency of the horseradish just enough to make the horseradish a nice flavor rather than an uncomfortable bite. Second, the use of two mustards - both prepared and dry. I still can't figure this one out, although maybe the prepared mustard allows for more substance to the filling or something. Still, it's the sugar that makes this horseradish-based recipe so good. Maybe Grandpa wasn't really such an asshole, but had a sweet spot in his somewhere. Doubtful.

Here are the scores:

Overall: 72 out of 100
Texture: 14 out of 100
Flavor: 14 out of 100
Uniqueness: 17 out of 100 (3 additional points for the story)
Appearance: 11 out of 100 (I'm getting SO tired of the paprika-as-garnish appearance)
Ease of preparation: 16 out of 100

Comments?

Slightly Sweet Deviled Eggs

Once in a while, you get really pleasantly surprised by something. And these eggs were really surprising to me. Many people feel like deviled eggs can be used as a quasi-dessert and add some sugar, but I've never agreed with that. Yet here's a deviled egg recipe wher the only real flavor beyond mayonnaise, mustard, etc., is sugar. But the result was very, very good ! I was pleasantly surprised.

That's not to say that this recipe is perfect. As with the last few recipes, the proportion was off. And this recipe said you could add milk, as needed, to change the texture. I like thicker deviled egg filling and I thought the texture was perfect, with no milk needed. The recipe also allowed for either dry mustard or prepared mustard, and I went with prepared mustard. Maybe that made the texture perfect with no milk added.

Here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard or 1/2 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
milk, as needed

1. Crumble egg yolks until very fine.
2. Mix all ingredients.
3. Add milk as needed to smooth the mixture.
4. Fill eggs with filling.
5. Sprinkle with paprika or garnish as needed.
6. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour so flavors will blend.


Above: adding mayonnaise, vinegar, and salt.


Above: adding pepper, mustard, and the sugar.


Above: the finished product

So, again, notice that there are only 9 deviled eggs rather than 12. There just wasn't enough filling to fill all 12 egg halves, but like most deviled egg recipes, this one is easily scalable. Also, I'm getting bored with just paprika as garnish and I'm going to look for some recipes in my unused stack that use something OTHER than paprika as garnish. It's just a little pedestrian, and I've got enough recipes that use something other than paprika that I need to use some.

But these eggs, flavor-wise, were very good. The sugar didn't make them TOO sweet - had they tasted like a deviled egg dessert, I'm sure I wouldn't have cared for them. And my reviewers LOVED them - gobbled them up in a hurry (and the reviewers were tasting them in combination with another recipe that will appear soon).

Lastly, I've also got a stack of recipes that I have reviewed and said I would try again with some change. Look for those soon or I'll get to too far behind.

Here are the scores:

Overall: 70 out of 100
Texture: 18 out of 100
Flavor: 14 out of 100
Uniqueness: 12 out of 100
Appearance: 8 out of 100
Ease of preparation: 18 out of 20

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?

Jacque's Bacon and Vinegar Deviled Eggs

I have no idea who Jacque is. But he/she makes some kick-ass deviled eggs. As I've made more than 20 deviled egg recipes, my all-time favorite has been the Bacon and Cheese Deviled Eggs. And now that I have made Jacque's wonderful deviled eggs, I know that the secret to the Bacon and Cheese deviled egg recipe is... not the bacon... not the cheese... but the VINEGAR!

I don't think vinegar would go great with EVERY deviled egg recipe, but I think it goes great with bacon in a deviled egg. Maybe I need to test this theory by making a bacon deviled egg recipe that does NOT use vinegar. Stay tuned...

Here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/8-1/4 cup mayonnaise (enough to get the texture right)
3 slices bacon, cooked very crisp and crumbled
paprika, for garnish

Mix yolks with all ingredients, adding more mayonnaise (if necessary). Fill egg whites with mixture. Garnish with paprika. Let eggs chill for 1 hour for flavors to meld.


Above: adding the vinegar and mustard


Above: adding the mayonnaise and crumbled bacon


Above: the finished product, garnished with paprika.

So I followed these instructions to the letter. First, I added (as you can see) the ingredients vinegar-first, rather than the usual method of adding mayonnaise first. I have no clue if that makes any difference, but I will say that the vinegar flavor was very noticeable and very good. Second, I added only 1/8 cup of mayonnaise (the minimum amount suggested) and did not add any more. At first, I thought that there wouldn't be enough filling to fill the 12 egg halves, but alas, there was! More mayonnaise would have thinned out the filling and may also have dulled the great flavor.

And I really liked the result ! Here is the rating:

Overall: 79 out of 100
Texture: 18 out of 20
Flavor: 18 out of 20
Uniqueness: 14 out of 20
Appearance: 12 out of 20
Ease of preparation: 15 out of 20 (again, losing points because I had to fry the bacon)

Comments?

Zesty Mediterranean Deviled Eggs

I got this recipe from a newspaper clipping that credited Rayma Essex Korber of Goddard, KS, the "Deviled Egg Queen." These eggs are pretty good, but royal? I think not ! Surely deviled egg royalty has better recipes than this, particularly royalty pretentious enough to use three names like she's the Immediate Past President of the Junior League of Jackson, MS, or something.

This deviled egg recipe seems to examplify the age old saw of "If you have it in your kitchen, add it to your recipe!" There is just a LOT of stuff going on here - almost too much. There are a lot of really cool things going on here, the main one is the garnish which not only looks really cool but also adds noticeably and uniquely to the flavor, but there also seem to be a lot of extra things going on here, too. With an ingredient list that includes pickle relish, kalamata olives, balsamic vinegar, garlic, AND hot sauce in addition to mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper, there is just a little too much going on here. Further, I've debated in the past the merits of mayonnaise vs. Miracle Whip, and decided that the Miracle Whip just adds a little "bite" the the finished product. So instead of just ONE ingredient that's sort of bland, this recipe calls for Miracle Whip. Nonetheless, the recipe is pretty good and certainly different from the standard deviled egg recipe.

Here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs
1/6 cup mayonnaise-style salad dressing (Miracle Whip)
1/2 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
6 kalamata olives, pitted
1/8 cup sweet pickle relish
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 drops hot pepper sauce
6 stuffed green olives, halved, for garnish

Mix yolks with mayonnaise, vinegar, and mustard. Finely chop kalamata olives. Add olives, relish, and garlic to the egg yolk mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce. Fill egg halves with mixture. Garnish with halved stuffed green olives.




Above: adding the mayonnaise, balsamic vinegar, and mustard




Above: adding the olives, sweet pickle relish, and minced garlic



Don't those sliced olives look cool as the garnish? And they actually add in a great way to the flavor. Unfortunately the filling looks like something I saw in the 2 Girls 1 Cup video. Here is the rating:

Overall: 68 out of 100
Texture: 13 out of 20
Flavor: 15 out fo 20
Uniqueness: 16 out of 20
Appearance: 15 out of 20 (plus 5 because of the garnish; minus 5 because of the appearance of the filling
Ease of preparation: 10 out of 20 (a lot of work chopping all those ingredients)

Comments?