Deviled Eggs

Name: Deviled Eggs
Yield: makes 2 dozen
Ingredients: 12 large eggs; 1/3 cup mayonnaise (page 282); 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; Pinch of cayenne pepper; Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon, chives, or chervil, plus leaves for garnish

December 9, 2011

Image may contain Cutlery Fork and Plant

Photo by Chelsea Kyle

I made these once for a political fundraiser at my friend Melita Easter’s house, attended by the governor of Georgia, who stood there and practically ate the whole plate. The secret is butter, a tip I picked up in culinary school that takes this Southern staple from delicious to sublime and renders people unable to use the sense God gave a cat to stop eating. If you don’t have a specially designed plate for serving deviled eggs, with cuplike indentations to keep the eggs from rolling, simply trim off a sliver from the bottom of the cooked white before you fill the eggs with the yolk mixture. Garnish the platter with leaves of butter lettuce or herbs and nestle the filled eggs in the greenery. Very fresh eggs are difficult to peel. Buy and refrigerate eggs about seven days in advance of cooking. This allows the eggs to take in air, which helps separate the membranes from the shells.

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