BY GWEN KENNEALLY
While exploring the history of the symbol of the Easter egg I also realized that it is represented in many other faiths. Eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility, and rebirth, pre-dating Christian traditions. The practice of decorating eggshell is ancient.
The egg was seen as a symbol of Spring, with something new and living emerging from an object that appeared dead. Eggs were given as gifts in Persia at the spring equinox, which for them was the beginning of a new year.
For the Jewish faith, the hard-cooked egg or roasted egg is used on the Seder plate. The egg is a symbol of mourning the loss of two temples. Traditionally the egg was the food of mourners so they became an appropriate symbol for the loss of these sacred sites.
In our traditions, we tend to make (and buy) far to many hard cooked eggs than we can possibly eat. With that in mind, here are a dozen recipes that I have created over the years that you can enjoy long after the Seder plate is cleaned and the Easter egg hunt is over!
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. Serves 6.
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.
Pickled Hard Boiled Eggs
12 hard boiled eggs, peeled
1 red onion, sliced into rings
1 cup white wine vinegar
1-cup water
¼ cup sugar
10 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
12 whole peppercorns
Place eggs and onion rings in a large jar. In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns and garlic. Remove from heat and allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Pour the vinegar mixture over the eggs and cover. Refrigerate 1 week before serving.
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. Serves 4.
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. Serves 4.
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. Serves 4-6.
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). Serves 4.
Hard Boiled Eggs with Truffle Cream
Based on the traditional French dish Oeufs aux Truffes this is one amazing meal. Serves four 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. Serves 4.
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. Serves 4.
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. Serves 8.
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 bleu 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.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2-teaspoon limoncello
10 tablespoons sugar
1/4-teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
4 hard-boiled eggs
1 raw egg, slightly beaten
3 cups all-purpose flour
For the top:
egg white
½ cup sugar
½ cup poppy seeds
Heat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor cream together the zest, limoncello, butter salt and sugar until light and fluffy! Add the eggs and flour and pulse until dough just comes together.
Chill the dough in the fridge for approximately 10 minutes. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/4 in. thick, then cut into rounds with a 2-inch cookie cutter. Dip the cut cookies into 1 egg white and then sprinkle sugar and poppy seeds over the tops of the cookies. Arrange on baking sheet (cookies will not spread) and bake until just beginning to brown at the edges, about 12 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Makes 4 dozen.
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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