A Deviled Egg EXTRAVAGANZA at Supper restaurant in Philadelphia

This column (http://tinyurl.com/kryvlq), which recently appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer food section, contains one line that makes me smile like I have never smiled.

Mitch Prensky, owner of Supper restaurant in Philadelphia (http://www.supperphilly.com/), says, "Nobody doesn't like a deviled egg." Well, Mitch, that's the premise of this blog - everyone loves deviled eggs, there are an infinite number of possibilities of deviled egg recipes, and we want to find the BEST one.

Mitch even goes into detail about how to hard-boil an egg, differing only slightly from TheBestDeviledEgg technique we discussed when we began this blog. He then, much like we have said, claims that the basic deviled egg recipe is the "mother sauce" to which any taste can be added, tweaked, or altered to taste.

But here's where Mitch becomes the hero of TheBestDeviled Eggs. Mitch has created 12 different varieties (see above), all of which are available at Supper, and he launched his deviled egg-stravaganza on July 1 with some amazing promotions ($1 per egg, or all dozen for $9).

Throughout the rest of July, this promotion will be $6 for 4 deviled eggs, appearing on a rotating basis.

Three recipes are included in the Philadelphia Inquirer article (Mitch's Classic Deviled Egg recipe, his Bacon and Cheddar Deviled Egg recipe, and a recipe for Chevre Deviled Eggs with Asparagus) and TheBestDeviledEggs will taste and review all three. Perhaps Mitch will be so kind as to share the other 9, so then at least we can determine which of HIS dozen recipes represents TheBestDeviledEggs.

Deviled Eggs in the New York Times

Deviled Eggs are HOT! More and more restaurants are featuring deviled eggs as part of their menus, and more and more food industry insiders are taking note. Many restaurants have expanded their appetizer menus, often including small-plate tapas as part of their offerings, and deviled eggs are PERFECT for a tapas menu. Inexpensive, relatively simple-to-make, bite size, and redolent of a simpler time, deviled eggs have begun to emerge in the mainstream food world as a legitimate attraction for "foodies." In addition, these challenging economic times, some people theorize, have pushed Americans into a mindset where they embrace nostalgia, relics of a more comfortable, worry-free time. Read: deviled eggs that Grandma made for those hot summer picnics of yore.

And as the popularity of deviled eggs has begun to skyrocket, the focus of this blog will also change. Rather than just tasting and testing dozens upon dozens of deviled egg recipes (and simultaneously redlining our cholesterol), The Best Deviled Eggs will now add links to articles that discuss deviled eggs. As the popularity of deviled eggs on restaurant menus has increased, so has the popularity in the blogosphere and the rest of the web world.

In fact, Melissa Clark of the New York Times has a story (linked here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/dining/01appe.html?_r=1&src=twt&twt=nytimesdining) out where she ponders the perfect warm-weather sustenance for both her "nostalgia and appetite" and concludes that deviled eggs fit this description perfectly. Without a recipe to satisfy her craving, Melissa sought to conceptualize her own deviled egg recipe that fit the description of "deviled", and settled on fashioning a deviled egg recipe that would be both spicy and red. Thus was born her recipe for "Smoky Red Deviled Eggs", linked here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/dining/011arex.html?ref=dining.

Certainly creative, Melissa adds tomato paste to make the filling red, then tops her deviled eggs with one of our favorites - smoked paprika. Besides a little garlic and some red wine vinegar, Melissa keeps her recipe pretty uncomplicated. Sounds like a good start, but we have yet to try her recipe.

Look at how RED Melissa's eggs are.

A complete review of Melissa's recipe will be posted on TheBestDeviledEggs later this week.

Texas-Style Deviled Eggs

At The Best Deviled Eggs, I get a TON of suggestions for deviled eggs that aren't really recipes. Just a lot of comments like "I use caviar on top of my deviled eggs" or that suggest other deviled egg toppings. From these topping suggestions came the recipe that, so far, I think is truly the BEST deviled egg recipe - the April 2008 recipe for "Crispy-Fried Prosciutto Deviled Eggs" seen here: http://thebestdeviledeggs.blogspot.com/2008/04/crispy-fried-prosciutto-deviled-eggs.html

That recipe came from a suggestion of crispy-frying prosciutto for a deviled egg topping, combined with a very good, but very basic, recipe I received from a friend's mother.

Also, in January 2008, I noted in this entry (http://thebestdeviledeggs.blogspot.com/2008/01/oregano-deviled-eggs.html) that whenever a deviled egg recipe seems like it's missing something, that "something" is usually pickle relish.

Well, this recipe, credited online to Sheila Chase, is a very simple deviled egg recipe that uses pickle relish. Is it great? No... it's OK, but it's pretty basic and has no flourishes. And as this blog has taught us, it's the flourishes that "make" deviled egg recipes complete. Just mayonnaise, relish, salt and pepper, and a little mustard. The original recipe wasn't really specific about proportions, and the suggested proportions left a filling that was too dry, so I corrected them for the purposes of this test. In fact, the original recipe says that mustard is "optional", but in fact, it's actually pretty necessary.

What this recipe IS, however, is the perfect "base" deviled egg recipe, and a recipe I will probably use in the future to test recipes where I'm just given a suggested topping.

Here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in half
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
salt and pepper to taste

1. Slice eggs in half and remove yolks.
2. Mash yolks in a bowl until fine.
3. Add mayonnaise, relish, and mustard.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Mix well and fill egg halves with mixture.
6. Allow eggs to chill for one hour before serving.

Here are the pictures:

Above: adding the mayonnaise, relish, and mustard

Above: the final product (notice the lack of garnish)

The lack of garnish is what makes this recipe just TOO basic. But I guess "basic" means that this recipe is the perfect base for future recipes, where just a garnish is suggested.

Here are the scores:

Overall: 65 out of 100

Texture: 15 out of 20 (once the proportions were fine-tuned)

Flavor: 15 out of 20

Uniqueness: 8 out of 20

Appearance: 8 out of 20

Ease of preparation: 19 out of 20

Comments?

BestDeviledEggs Now on Twitter!

I am now twittering about all things deviled egg related. Follow me on Twitter - BestDeviledEggs.

As point of reference, yesterday was Mother's Day and there were nearly 50 deviled-egg-related tweets on Twitter.

Look for our Mother's Day deviled egg recipe later this week!

Deviled Eggs back in the news

It's been a while since I've updated, but with the month of May comes a renewed vow to post and review one deviled egg recipe a week from now until the end of the year.

And deviled eggs are VERY trendy and popular. Check out this story from the Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times, a story that appeared just before Easter: http://http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090411/LIVING/904110302

This article is particularly interesting because of the great advice the writer, Pervaiz Shallwani, about how to choose the right eggs, then how to hard boil them. While not long on creative ideas for making great deviled eggs, the story is very informative and just another example of the popularity of deviled eggs.

See you later this week with a new recipe!

Pancetta and Maytag Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs

I REALLY loved this recipe. Pretty simple, yet uses some unique ingredients. Doesn't get too fancy, yet the double use of the pancetta is a creative way to incorporate into the flavor AND the appearance. Just egg yolks, mayonnaise, Maytag blue cheese, pancetta, and a little salt and pepper. As simple as it seems, I honestly believe that adding ANYTHING else (mustard, relish, red pepper, even paprika) would just take away the brilliant simplicity of this recipe.

And the requirements of using Maytag blue cheese might seem like mere conspicuous consumption, but because the result was so good, I think it might be necessary.

Here is the recipe:

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in half

1/4 lb pancetta, finely diced before cooking

2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons Maytag blue cheese, crumbled

salt and pepper to taste

1. Finely dice pancetta before cooking.

2. Cook pancetta over medium heat until crispy.

3. Slice eggs in half and remove yolks.

4. Mash yolks in a bowl until fine.

5. Add mayonnaise and Maytag blue cheese.

6. Add 2/3 of the cooked pancetta.

7. Add salt and pepper to taste.

8. Mix well and fill egg halves with mixture.

9. Allow eggs to chill for an hour before serving.

9. Garnish with remaining 1/3 of cooked pancetta.

Note: do NOT chill the pancetta as a garnish. In fact, 10 second in a microwave before garnishing and serving will really punch up the crispiness and flavor of the pancetta garnish.

Here are the pictures:

Above: adding the mayonnaise, Maytag blue cheese, and pancetta

Above: the finished product, garnished with the pancetta.

And now a couple of caveats so you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. One of my tasting panelists did not like this recipe. Why? He doesn't like blue cheese. So, to enjoy this recipe, and to believe it's high score, you must be a lover of blue cheese. It is a strong flavor, and is clearly the dominant flavor in this recipe.

Another caveat: do NOT allow the pancetta garnish to chill. Chill the eggs so the flavors meld and so the texture sets up nicely, but a few tasters didn't like the chilled pancetta as a garnish. So just garnish the eggs immediately before serving - something that is very different from most deviled egg recipes.

One last comment. One taster asked why this recipe required pancetta rather than just bacon. Well, pancetta and bacon are VERY similar, but pancetta is cured and spiced, and those spices are what provide enough subtleties in the flavor in this recipe that the simplicity of just mayonnaise, Maytag blue cheese, and pancetta (and a little salt and pepper, if you wish) provides, counter-intuitively, enough complexity.

Here are the scores:

Overall: 86 out of 100

Texture: 17 out of 20 (the blue cheese MUST be crumbled and well-blended, which is a bit of a challenge)

Flavor: 19 out of 20

Uniqueness: 18 out of 20

Appearance: 18 out of 20

Ease of preparation: 14 out of 20 (because you have to fry the pancetta)

Comments?

Southern Living Buttery Dijon Deviled Eggs

Deviled Eggs, in many people's eyes, are a distincly Southern delicacy.

So who better to suggest a Deviled Egg recipe than that bastion of all things Southern, Southern Living magazine?

This recipe (supposedly) comes from a recipe that originally appeared in an issue of Southern Living magazine. If that's true, I'm a little surprised and a little more disappointed. While this recipe is good, it's not great... and I expected great from that scion of Southern culture, Southern Living magazine.

This recipe is called "Buttery Dijon Deviled Eggs" but that title doesn't really describe what's going on here. First of all, as we have learned throughout this blog, the use of butter in deviled egg filling is less about the flavor and more about the texture. And as with all deviled egg recipes I have tried that use butter, the filling in this recipe solidifies when the eggs are chilled. There isn't a whole lot of butter flavor, per se, but the butter has a large effect - most of it negative and most of it on the texture of the deviled egg filling. Perhaps if someone wanted to thicken a deviled egg filling, he or she could use a LITTLE butter - but equal parts butter to mayonnaise just makes a solid filling when chilled, not a good result.

Second, the title implies that Dijon mustard will be a dominant flavor, but it wasn't. In fact, there wasn't really a dominant flavor - just the thickness of the butter.

That doesn't mean that this recipe was bad, because it wasn't. It just wasn't as good as I expected from Southern Living magazine.

Here is the recipe:

6 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and cut in half
1/8 cup butter, softened
1/8 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
salt to taste
ground white pepper to taste
paprika (optional)

1. Cut eggs in half lengthwise and remove yolks.
2. Mash yolks in a smal bowl.
3. Stil in butter, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and ground red pepper

4. Stir in salt and white pepper to taste.

5. Spoon mixture evenly into egg white halves.

6. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired.

7. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or until ready to serve

Here are the pictures:

Above: adding the mayonnaise, softened butter, and Dijon mustard

Above: adding the lemon juice and red pepper

Above: the finished product, garnished with paprika

Here are the scores:

Overall: 59 out of 100

Texture: 8 out of 20 (I just don't like the thickness the butter provides)

Flavor: 10 out of 20

Uniqueness: 12 out of 20 (extra for the use of white pepper)

Appearance: 14 out of 20 (again, extra for the use of white pepper)

Ease of preparation: 15 out of 20

Comments?