I have always been the oddball in the family.Well, if you met my two older brothers you would think that I am the most normal, by appearance, but when it comes to what I allow to enter my two skinny lips, I am instantly a weirdo. For example, if they'd order a hamburger coated in cheddar, I'd order a lamb patty plopped with feta. They'd order a Yuengling, I'd order a Hop Hog -- you get the point.
Thus, being the adventurous one, it would be expected of me that if I were to make the classic picnic staple, deviled eggs, I would not follow my mom's highly-acclaimed recipe (sorry, Mom). Swirling a little bit of Miracle Whip with a little bit of yellow mustard, her yolks have always been so loved, and this love also comes from my scarfing-self.
So simple, yet so perfect, dozens of these fine eggs are packaged in Tupperware containers for many, upon many friend-and-family functions. However, some times the best things are born from escaping your comfort zone, so I allowed myself to take the Claudia Strauss Torch and devilishly sneak into my own, slightly gourmet, world of hard-boiled eggs, courtesy of Almost Meatless.
In AM, authors Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond, who are also fellow Philadelphians, satisfying sculpt, as the title assumes, health-conscious recipes that scale back our meaty intakes, without sacrificing the flavors we carnivorously crave. And, coming from a girl who's a post-vegetarian, now embarrassingly-addicted meathead, I have been dying for a book with such a balance!
Here, I cross their starting line with a sampling of their retro-styled devilish eggs, which by the way, received extreme gratification from my experienced mother with a two-thumbs up.
Deviled Eggs
Serves 4 to 8
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 dozen eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup mayo
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon grated shallot
1/2 teaspoon sriracha or hot sauce
5 cornichons, diced
salt & fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon paprika, for garnish
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Bake panko crumbs on a rimmed sheet for about 10 minutes. Cool. Slice eggs in half. (Tip: Spray knife with cooking spray for easy slicing!) Scrap yolk into large bowl. Add mustard, mayo, turmeric, shallot, sriracha and cornichons. Whisk until smooth; season to taste with salt and taste. Using a teaspoon, fill each egg with a heaping dose of yolk mixture. (To be fancy, use a piping bag.) Just before serving, add pinch of baked panko and dust evenly with paprika.
Reprinted with permission from Ten Speed Press and the authors.
