In Search Of The Best Deviled Eggs: restaurant recipe

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.

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.