Chatter and Mash

Deviled Eggs:

Hard boil a dozen large eggs a day or two before you want to make your deviled eggs.  The older the eggs and the longer they sit in the fridge before peeling, the easier they’ll be to peel.  Another tip I found (too late to use it myself): to center the yolks in the egg, for a prettier finished product, lay the raw eggs on their sides in the fridge the night before boiling them.  Apparently this works…

Slice your hard-boiled, peeled eggs in half lengthwise and separate the yolks from the whites.  Place the whites on a platter and combine the yolks in a large bowl.  mash the yolks with a fork, then stir in:

     2 tsp mustard

     1/4 c mayonnaise

     2 Tbsp capers, roughly chopped

Test a bit of the mixture and add salt and pepper to taste.  Continuing to test as you go along, stir in:

     dash of caper brine

     hefty pinch of dry mustard

large dash of paprika (keeping in mind that the eggs will be dusted with more paprika when they’re filled)

Taste and adjust the flavors to your liking (I like mine very mustardy and less mayo-y), then fill the white halves with mounds of yolk mixture (you can use a piping bag if you like, but I just used a teaspoon) and dust the entire platter with paprika.  

Now just try not to eat them all before your guests arrive!

(via Linzers in London: Old Favorites Remembered: Gram’s Deviled Eggs)