BY GWEN KENNEALLY
This holiday weekend did not come close to turning out as I had expected! I was busily preparing food for several celebrations when my daughter came into the kitchen asking for orange juice because she had the sniffles and a sore throat. She had a fever as well so I tucked her in bed with some O.J., Airborne, Net Flicks and her Easter Basket!
I was still contemplating the possibilities of being able to attend at least the second event when I went to check on her only to discover that our puppy Maxx had quietly devoured his weight in chocolate from her basket while she was sleeping. Knowing that he has survived eating two dozen cup cakes on one occasion and a tray of brownies on another, my vet was not really concerned, but it became clear that we would be home for the day.
People love my deviled eggs so I had boiled 4 dozen eggs so I could take two dozen to each event. In my house clearly the chocolate eggs will be gone, but I know that most of us have an abundance of hard-boiled eggs. Here are some clever ways to use them.
Fortunately, today Maxx is happily chasing his ball, Emma has no fever and is feeling more like herself and I prepared fruit and hardboiled eggs for breakfast! Enjoy these recipes with your friends and family!
Best Hard Boiled Eggs
1 dozen eggs (older eggs are easier to peel)
3 1/2 quarts water
Lay the eggs in the pan and add 3 1/2 cups water. Water should cover the eggs by 1 inch, so use a tall pan, and limit cooking to 1 dozen eggs at a time. Set over high heat and bring just to the boil; remove from heat, cover the pan, and let sit exactly 20 minutes. When the time is up, transfer the eggs to the bowl of ice cubes and water. Chill for 2 minutes. (This 2-minute chilling shrinks the body of the egg from the shell making them easy to peel.)
Deviled Eggs
12 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Dijon
3 tablespoons dill pickles, minced
Splash vinegar
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch salt
Peel eggs and very carefully slice eggs in half the long way, keeping the whites intact as much as possible. Place whites on tray, holes up. Drop yolks into a small mixing bowl and smash with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix with fork until smooth. You can fill the egg whites by using a small spoon or a pastry bag. Sprinkle with paprika or chopped chives for a little color, and serve or refrigerate.
Wasabi Stuffed Eggs
6 hard-cooked eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons wasabi paste, out-of-tube, or dry wasabi to taste
2 green onions, finely minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Salt
Garnish: sprinkle with seaweed and/ or sesame seeds
Peel hard-cooked eggs, slice in half, remove yolks to a small bowl. Add mayonnaise, sour cream, wasabi paste, green onions, and lemon zest. Mash to combine. Taste for wasabi and salt. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a fluted tip. Prior to serving fill whites with wasabi filling. Sprinkle on optional seasoning/garnish.
Egg Salad
Here are a few of my favorite egg salads. You can really mix and match and come up with your own favorites. They are great over lettuce as a salad or with bread as a sandwich. Use the freshest spring herbs and you can use soy or turkey bacon for the bacon and egg salad.
Curried Egg Salad
1/4-cup mayonnaise
1-teaspoon curry powder
1/8-teaspoon celery salt
4 shakes of Tabasco
1-teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 hard-boiled large eggs, chopped
1 mango, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
In a bowl stir together the mayonnaise, the curry powder, the celery salt, the Tabasco, the cumin, the mustard, the lemon juice. Stir in the eggs, the celery, mango and scallions. Season the salad with salt and pepper.
Egg Salad with Dill
8 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2-cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. (If you can’t find champagne vinegar white wine works as well.) Season with salt and pepper.
Bacon and Egg Salad
12 bacon slices
8 large hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2-cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Sauté bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Coarsely chop the bacon and mix with the chopped eggs, celery in bowl. Mix in mayonnaise and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.
Smoked Salmon and Egg Salad
6 hard-boiled large eggs
1 shallot finely chopped
2 teaspoons tarragon, finely chopped
2 tablespoons drained capers, rinsed and finely chopped
1/2-cup mayonnaise
1/4 lb smoked salmon, coarsely chopped
Mash eggs coarsely with a fork, then stir in shallot, tarragon, capers, smoked salmon, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper to taste. (Great served on a toasted bagel.)
Hard Boiled Eggs with Truffle Cream
Based on the traditional French dish Oeufs aux Truffes this is one amazing meal. Serves 4 with a mix green salad, but I can easily double it and not have any leftovers. Truffles and cream. Need I say more?
4 eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4-cup heavy cream
3/4-cup brandy
Freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
½ cup truffle shavings
Hard-boil the eggs, then cool and shell them. Cut them in half lengthwise, carefully remove the yolks with a teaspoon and pass them through a strainer into a bowl. Preheat the oven to 500°F and grease an ovenproof dish with a little of the melted butter. Pour the cream and brandy into a pan, add a pinch of nutmeg, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the egg yolks and truffle shavings, mixing to a paste. Fill the egg white halves with the mixture and put them in the prepared dish. Pour the rest of the melted butter over them and bake for 5 minutes until lightly browned.
Salmon Salad With Eggs in Vinaigrette
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1/4-cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1-tablespoon olive oil
1-tablespoon shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 (3-ounce) salmon fillets
4 cups mixed salad greens
1/4 cup vertically sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
2 hard-cooked large eggs, sliced
Preheat grill to medium-high. Place beans in large pan of boiling water; cook 2 minutes. Drain and plunge beans into ice water; drain. Combine vinegar, mustard, oil, shallots, garlic and salt and pepper in small bowl, stirring well with whisk; set aside. Brush both sides of each fillet with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place fish, skin side up, on grill rack; cook 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with fork, turning after 4 minutes. Arrange 1-cup greens in each of 4 bowls; top with onion, egg slices, and beans. Top with salmon; drizzle with dressing.
The Cobb Salad
Another one of the culinary legends is The Cobb Salad. It is hard to believe that something so wonderful could have been so carelessly concocted, but I guess that is the gift of creating. It seems that in the 20’s at the super hot, super trendy Hollywood hangout The Brown Derby manager Bill Cobb was bored. The menu consisted of mainly heavy grilled meats. He really wanted a “light meal” so he tossed some things into a bowl. I can’t even imagine a “light salad” consisting of bacon, cheese and avocado. While there have been many variations, mine stays pretty close to the original. And of course you can add or delete any thing you like.
1 large or 2 small heads of romaine, finely chopped
2 heads of Boston lettuce, finely chopped
1 bunch of watercress, finely chopped
1 pound bacon cooked and crumbled
3 ripe avocados, chopped
3 pounds chicken breasts, poached, and chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1-bunch scallions, sliced
2 shallots, minced
1-cup red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 cups olive oil
1 cup Blue cheese, finely chopped
In a large salad bowl toss together the romaine, Boston lettuce and watercress. In a small food processor mix shallots, vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a slow stream, mixing until the dressing until it is emulsified. Pour into a bowl and stir in blue cheese. Pour it over the lettuce, and toss the salad well. In rows over the lettuce arrange chicken, bacon, tomato, avocados, scallions and egg over the greens.
Fettuccine Salad with Eggs and Heirloom Tomatoes
½ cup olive oil
½ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 sun- dried tomatoes, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
10 large basil leaves
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Place all of the above in a blender and puree until smooth and fluffy.
12 ounces Spinach Fettuccine, cooked and well drained
4 heirloom tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 Persian cucumbers, sliced and halved
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Gently toss in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss until evenly coated.
Add: 8 hard boiled eggs, peeled and wedged
Gently toss in eggs and serve.
Gwen Kenneally is the owner of Back to the Kitchen, Full Service Catering and Party Planning. She is the co-founder and master baker at Magpie Gourmet Mini Pies. Check out her websites www.Backtothekitchen.net and http://magpieminipie.vpweb.com. Her Sweet and Savory Cookbook is available through AMAZON
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