Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Deviled Eggs Are Great Appetizers

I think it's time to talk a little bit about appetizers. To some people appetizers are not that important. I am among people who think that appetizers are important. Today I will be writing about deviled eggs. Deviled eggs can be great appetizers.

There are so many great new recipes for appetizers out there these days. Every time people get their hands on a popular recipe you'll able to see this dish on almost every party or a banquet. There is nothing that special and popular on a recipe that everyone is using. I am not saying it won't taste good, you just might consider to do something a bit different. It might not be a bad idea if you would look for some old recipes. These recipes are many times forgotten but they still manage to satisfy even very demanding guests. This way you will avoid comments like: Oh, we were having this same appetizers at Dave's last week and at Susan's the week before that. Make the appetizers you don't see at every party. I know one crowd pleaser that won't disappoint you and it is called deviled eggs.

Deviled eggs are delicious appetizers that are easy to make and serve. The basic recipe can be prepared in no time. One positive characteristic about deviled eggs is that you can do the majority of the preparations in advance. There are many things people have to take care of on a day of a party. That day is normally very busy and a lot of tasks need to be done. But the day before is intend to make preparations. So one or even two days before the party you can start making your deviled eggs.

As mentioned, deviled eggs can be made very easy and very fast. Even though you might consider to take some extra time and put some extra effort into your work. It will pay off at the end. I will tell you about some tricks and tips on how to make your deviled eggs not only tasteful but to look good too.

First thing you want to do is place the eggs on their sides and let them rest a few hours or overnight. This way you can better center the egg yolks in their shells. Take eggs out of the fridge a half hour before you start cooking them. This way you will avoid or at least reduce the temperature shock. Place the eggs in large pot of water and cover the eggs by about an inch or so. You don't want the eggs to be tight together because they might bump into each other and crack. Once set, you want bring eggs to a boil. Keep the temperature just a notch from the max while the water heats up. This will also help preventing eggs from bumping into each other. Add a teaspoon of salt into water. This will help you peel the eggs later on. Once the eggs start to boil take the pot off the heat. Leave the eggs covered for half hour or so. After that time place the pot in the sink and run cold water over the eggs and let it run for several minutes (10 minutes or more). Or you can put them in another bowl with cold water, you may also add cubes of ice in it if you want (this way you will safe few gallons of water). Cold water will stop the cooking process and will insure that the yolks will not turn green. Dry the eggs and place them in the refrigerator. If you are in a hurry or your party is the same day you boiled the eggs, then don't put them in a fridge (or maybe just for ½ hour). Simply continue with making deviled eggs.

Peel the eggs on the day of a party. Take the egg and give it a few gentle taps on a hard surface. But be careful, don't tap it to hard. Eggs should be cracked all over the surface. Then place the cracked eggs back into your cooling water. Allow the egg to sit for another 10 minutes or so. Some water will get under the shells to help peeling. After that the hell should slip off easily. If it doesn't, try to peel the eggs under running cold tap water. This process is slightly time consuming. The prize will be perfectly round eye-catching and tasty deviled eggs!

Cut the eggs lengthwise after you have peeled them. Use a knife with a clean not serrated edge and cut cleanly through the center of each egg. Gently remove the yolk from the whites. You will want to arrange the whites in a single layer. Put the yolks on separate plate. It is a good idea to keep the extra deviled eggs and keep them cold.

Next smash the yolks with a fork. When the yolks are smashed they will might seem a little dry. there must not be any lumps in smashed yolks. This will guarantee you nice smooth fillings. Filling with lumps? I don't think so. What you add to the yolks is up to you. Majority of people add mustard or mayonnaise or both. Seasoning is indispensable. I saw people using cream cheese. You can also add vinegar, onions, olives or garlic or mixture of these ingredients. Whatever works for you and your guests. You can put a bowl with the yolk mixture into the fridge to chill before filling the whites. You can use pastry bag to make deviled eggs more stylish. This way you can achieve many interesting shapes of yolk mixture for your deviled eggs. If you don't want to complicate things you can just spoon the filling into the whites. If you want you can garnish with pinch of parsley flakes or paprika or sliced green olives if you wish. The yolk mixture holds its shape. That's why you can make all deviled eggs up at once and then serve or you can take them to the serving plate as you need them. If you own a cooling buffet table you serve the deviled eggs right there. It is more convenient. You can also make potato salad for the party if you want.

The deviled eggs are appetizers that will never stay long at a party. Actually they will be first to leave the party. :)Deviled eggs are simple to make and even easier to consume. They can make a nice treat for your friends and family on any occasion. You can store them in the fridge a day or two prior to consumption. There are some lovely deviled egg plates you can use. Even most of vegetarians eat deviled eggs so you will have one problem less to worry about. Deviled eggs simply rule!

No comments:

Post a Comment