Devil is in the Details

I was pleased to receive an invitation to an Easter Beach Brunch. Still the new girl in town, I am slowly making friends and acquaintances and invitations out are warmly welcomed! I was even more delighted to hear that the festivities would be kicked off by a few hours of paddle boarding to warm up the appetite! An Easter spent on the water and in the sand is exactly why I moved to Cali!

I was asked to bring an appetizer and I decided to make something Southern as most of the attendees would be from the area. My mind went straight to classic Southern style Deviled Eggs. However, I also felt it reeked of tacky 80′s party appetizer. How could I put a classy California spin on Deviled Eggs?

I spared no time and opened up my newest favorite cookbook. “Summerland”, by Anne Quatrano, is freshly published and is filled with Anne’s famously delicious recipes. She didn’t let me down and there was a chic modern recipe for Deviled Eggs! Yes.

I gave it a bit of my own individuality in the preparation, of course, as you can do too! Deviled Eggs aren’t just for Easter and are a regular guest at every Spring picnic and party in the South. With this recipe, I think it will now be a regular guest at the parties in Southern Cali too!

Eggshell Preparation:

Open a dozen egg crate. Using a small paring knife (the hard way) or a simple egg top cutter tool (Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table carry it), remove the top 1/4 of each egg. You can separate the eggs or empty them in one bowl and use for a great frittata, omelette or in baking.

Boiling Eggs:

Place 10 eggs in a pot and cover with water. Place over high heat until water boils. Once it boils, cook for 6 minutes, remove from heat and let cool. Peal the eggs and separate the yolks from whites in two bowls.

For the Yolks:

3 Tbsp. Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. Water

1/2 Tsp. Dijon Mustard

1/2 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1/2 Tsp. Paprika

1/2 Tsp. fresh Chevril

1/2 Tsp. fresh Chives

1/2 Tsp. fresh ground Pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

8 oz. fresh Salmon Roe or Caviar

Blend all ingredients in with the yolks, except the Roe. It should be creamy and smooth. If its not, add a bit more water. Set aside for egg assembly.

For the Whites:

Push the whites through a sieve. Add a teaspoon of mayonnaise and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Add 1 tsp each fresh chopped basil, chevril and/or chives.

Assembly:

Put 1 Tbsp of egg white mixture in bottom of each eggshell. Top that with 1 Tbsp. of yolk mixture. Sprinkle all eggs with fresh chives. Top with 1/4 Tsp of the Roe or Caviar. Voila.

FANCY EGGS!

I am pretty sure it made the Easter Bunny proud ;)