Cream Cheese Deviled Eggs

First of all, a follow-up to the "Sour Cream, Lemon, and Herb Deviled Eggs" recipe I prepared last week. These are the FIRST deviled egg recipe I have ever tried where I had to actually throw out the product because people wouldn't eat more than one. Perhaps it's because I'm not in a lunchtime garden club.

Now, on the the next recipe: Cream Cheese Deviled Eggs. This recipe reminds me of a classic Match Game episode. These deviled eggs are just "blank." Here is the recipe:

Cream Cheese Deviled Eggs

6 hard-boiled eggs

1/2 block softened cream cheese

sale and pepper to taste

1. Crumble egg yolks in a bowl.

2. Add softened cream cheese (if cream cheese is not soft enough to mix, microwave it for 10 or 15 seconds).

3. Combine yolks and cream cheese and add salt and pepper to taste

4. Fill egg whites with filling.

Above: adding the cream cheese; the finished product

Review: Seriously, these are the most basic recipe ever. Only egg yolks, cream cheese, and a little salt and pepper. However, the texture, because of the cream cheese, is SO different than any recipe I've ever tried. VERY thick - the cream cheese is taking place of the traditional mayonnaise/Miracle Whip/sour cream. I actually was excited while I was making these because I was also making a GREAT new snack-type appetizer that smelled great and was wonderful. (If you want that recipe, e-mail me!) It would be interesting to try a deviled egg recipe that involves cream cheese but ALSO some other flavorful ingredients - maybe mustard, relish, stronger spices, even bacon (of course).

Overall: 40 out of 100

Texture: 8 out of 20 (if only because it's so unique)

Flavor: 2 out of 20

Uniqueness: 10 out of 20

Appearance: 5 out of 20

Ease of preparation: 15 out of 20

Comments?

Sour Cream, Lemon, and Herb Deviled Eggs

Well, they aren't all home runs. Some are RBI doubles, some are sharp singles, and some are strikeouts. But this recipe was just a pop foul that the third baseman camps under and catches easily. Not totally worthless, but doesn't accomplish anything. Nonetheless, here it is:

Sour Cream, Lemon, and Herb Deviled Eggs

3 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
fresh thyme

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to egg yolks. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon yolk mixture into egg whites, and sprinkle generously with finely chopped fresh thyme.


Adding the sour cream, mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard to the mashed egg yolks.

Grating the lemon zest into the filling mixture, squeezing the fresh lemon juice, and adding the cayenne pepper.

The finished product, after filling the eggs and sprinkling with finely chopped thyme.

Review: first off, the filling is too runny. Way too runny. I'm not sure why the recipe calls for both mayonnaise AND sour cream, but deviled eggs require a firm center, and these did not have them. Second of all, the lemon was overpowering. While lemon is a nice flavor in many things, I thought it overpowered any other flavor. The thyme is sort of wasted, although thyme with lemon is usually a nice combination.

Overall: 40 out of 100

Texture: 2 out of 20 - just way too runny
Flavor: 5 out of 20

Uniqueness: 13 out of 20

Appearance: 12 out of 20

Ease of preparation: 8 out of 20 (grating lemon peel and the messiness of the filling caused this to go down)

Anybody have any comments?

Bacon Deviled Eggs

A wise man once said, "Everything is better with bacon." Deviled eggs are no exception. Here is a recipe I recently tried for Bacon Deviled Eggs.


6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon reserved bacon drippings
dash hot sauce
pinch salt
2 slices of bacon, cooked crisp
chopped parsley

Above: adding the sour cream, mustard, and bacon dripping, which goes right into the filling.

After preparing the filling by stirring the egg yolks, sour cream, mayonnaise, and bacon drippings thoroughly, place filling into each egg half. Then garnish with chopped fresh parsley and the crumbled pieces of bacon.

The finished product:

Review: The sour cream gives these eggs a nice, creamy texture - really different than traditional deviled eggs, but very very good. With no mayonnaise or Miracle Whip, the eggs really take on more of a bacon flavor - the bacon drippings, a unique touch, certainly help with this. Of course, anything tastes better with bacon. The crumbled bacon not only add to the bacon flavor, they also add a crunch to the texture - the parsley doesn't add much flavor but adds a lot of color.

Overall grade: 75 (out of 100)

Texture: 18 out of 20

Flavor: 17 out of 20

Appearance: 15 out of 20

Uniqueness: 15 out of 20 (because the bacon drippings are added)

Ease of preparation: 10 out of 20 (frying bacon is messy, but the result is great)

Any comments or suggestions?

How To Hard Boil Eggs for Deviled Eggs

The most important part of preparing deviled eggs is properly hard boiling the eggs. Here is a step-by-step guide with pictures.

1. Place eggs in a roomy saucepan with just enough water to barely cover the eggs.

2. On high heat, bring water to a rapid boil and allow to boil for 30 seconds.

3. After water has boiled for 30 seconds, place lid on pan and turn off the heat. Let sit for 12 minutes.

4. Empty pan of all water, and place eggs, pan and all, in the sink. Run cold water over eggs and pan until the pan is cool to the touch. Let sit at least 5 minutes.

5. When eggs and pan are cool, empty the water from the pan and vigorously shake the eggs in the pan to crack them. Then, under running cold water, gently peel the shell away from the egg.

6. Slice eggs in half lengthwise, then using a spoon, gently remove the hard-boiled yolks and place them in a bowl.

Now you are ready to make deviled eggs !

Simple Deviled Eggs

Simple Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

6 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1 heaping teaspoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon milk
dash of salt
ground black pepper or paprika

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

Above: the filling mixture and filling the eggs.


The finished product. I sprinkled paprika on the 6 on the left, and fresh ground pepper on the 6 on the right.

Review:

These eggs are the most basic deviled egg recipe I have seen. Just egg yolks, Miracle Whip (which gives a little more bite than mayonnaise), a little milk to thin the filling, some classic yellow mustard, a dash of salt, and some fresh ground pepper or paprika sprinkled on top.

Some people swear by Miracle Whip; others fight to the death for plain mayonnaise. Personally, I think that each has its own benefits, depending on the recipe, but as a rule I like mayonnaise when several other flavors are being added to the filling and Miracle Whip when the filling is very basic. This is the most basic deviled egg recipe out there, so I can see why it calls for Miracle Whip.

However, the Miracle Whip becomes the dominant flavor, with the mustard relegated to a subtle taste and the pepper/paprika seemingly only garnishes. Further, there is a LOT of filling for these eggs, so I think using less Miracle Whip wouldn't hurt.

Overall grade: 60 (on a scale of 1 to 100)
Texture: 15 out of 20
Flavor: 10 out of 20
Appearance: 15 out of 20
Uniqueness: 0 out of 20 (just totally plain)
Ease of preparation: 20 out of 20

What do you guys think?

In Search Of The Best Deviled Eggs

This blog will seek to find the BEST deviled egg recipe out there.

To submit deviled egg recipes for consideration, or to send other comments, please e-mail TheBestDeviledEggs@gmail.com