8 Crazy Ways To Make Deviled Eggs

WHAT IF: Potluck Deviled Egg Bar for Easter brunch?!

1. French Toast Deviled Eggs

Serve with mimosas for maximum brunchiness.

Recipe from D’Lish Deviled Eggs

Makes 24

INGREDIENTS
1 dozen 12-minute hard-cooked eggs

For the filling
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon real maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cooked, crumbled, breakfast sausage (about 2 ounces uncooked)

Topping
24 Petit French Toast pieces (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon real maple syrup
24 very tiny half-slices of strawberry (optional)

PREPARATION
Halve the eggs lengthwise and transfer the yolks to a mixing bowl. Set the egg white halves on a platter, cover, and refrigerate.

With a fork, mash the yolks to a smooth consistency. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, maple syrup, and salt, and mix until smooth. (You can also do this using an electric mixer with a whip attachment.) Stir in the breakfast sausage. Taste and season accordingly.

Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, then pipe the mixture evenly into the egg white halves. Or fill the eggs with a spoon, dividing the filling evenly.

Top each egg half with 1 piece of French toast and 1/8 teaspoon of maple syrup. Add a small piece of strawberry, if desired.

How to Make the Petit French Toast

Makes 24 pieces

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 slices white bread
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

PREPARATION
Cut the crust off the bread. Cut the whole slice into sixteen equal-sized squares, and the half-slice into eight. You should have two dozen tiny squares.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, sugar, and spices.

Pour the egg mixture into a shallow pan or pie dish. Lay the bread squares on the egg mixture, then flip them over to coat well and absorb the egg mixture.

Meanwhile, heat a 10-inch nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Spray with pan spray. Lay in the French toast pieces and cook for about 1 minute until light golden. Flip, and cook for about 1 more minute. Transfer to a plate or rack until ready to use. If making ahead, refrigerate, then bring to room temperature before garnishing the eggs.

2. Dirty Martini Deviled Eggs

For a “dirtier” flavor, before filling, place the halved egg whites cut side down in a shallow dish with 2 tablespoons of gin mixed with 1/4 cup of olive brine. Let soak for 1 to 2 hours, refrigerated.

Recipe from D’Lish Deviled Eggs

Makes 20

INGREDIENTS
1 dozen 12-minute hard-cooked eggs

For the Filling
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon brine from pimiento-stuffed green olives
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons finely minced shallots

For the Topping
1 tablespoon gin
1/4 cup minced pimiento-stuffed green olives
1 teaspoon finely minced lemon zest
2 tablespoons minced cocktail onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION
Halve the eggs lengthwise and transfer the yolks to a mixing bowl. Set 20 egg white halves on a platter, cover, and refrigerate. This recipe uses 12 egg yolks, but only yields enough filling for 20 halves; reserve the extra 4 whites for another use.

With a fork, mash the yolks to a smooth consistency. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, olive brine, Worcestershire sauce, and salt, and mix until smooth. (You can also do this using an electric mixer with a whip attachment.) Stir in the shallots. Taste and season accordingly.

Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain or large star tip, then pipe the mixture evenly into the egg white halves. Or fill the eggs with a spoon, dividing the filling evenly. To make the topping, in a small bowl, mix together the gin, olives, lemon zest, onions, and parsley. Top each egg half with about 1 teaspoon of the mixture.

3. Fennel, Orange & Harissa Deviled Eggs

This recipe uses fennel fronds, bulb, and seeds with a dash of harissa, a North African red chile spice.

Recipe from D’Lish Deviled Eggs

Makes 24

INGREDIENTS
1 dozen 12-minute hard-cooked eggs

For the Filling
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
11/2 teaspoons harissa (see Tip)
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon toasted, well-crushed fennel seeds (see page 33)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping
1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup very tiny-diced fresh fennel bulb
1 tablespoon chopped fresh fennel fronds
1 to 2 tablespoons harissa
2 teaspoons orange zest

INGREDIENTS
Halve the eggs lengthwise and transfer the yolks to a mixing bowl. Set the egg white halves on a platter, cover, and refrigerate.

With a fork, mash the yolks to a smooth consistency. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, harissa, orange juice, orange zest, fennel seeds, and salt, and mix until smooth. (You can also do this using an electric mixer with a whip attachment.) Taste and season accordingly.

Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain or large star tip, then pipe the mixture evenly into the egg white halves. Or fill the eggs with a spoon, dividing the filling evenly.

To make the topping, in a small bowl, mix together the orange juice, olive oil, fennel bulb, and fennel fronds. Top each egg half with 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of harissa, depending upon how spicy you like it, and then about 1/2 teaspoon of the fennel mixture and a sprinkle of orange zest.

4. Truffle Deviled Egg

Truffle oil inside deviled eggs. Gold leaf and real truffle are optional as all get out. Recipe available in D’Lish Deviled Eggs.

5. Red-Hot Buffalo Deviled Eggs

Wing sauce, blue cheese, celery. WIN. Recipe available in D’Lish Deviled Eggs.

6. Green Goddess Deviled Eggs

A.k.a. avocado deviled eggs. Recipe available in D’Lish Deviled Eggs.

7. Caesar Salad Deviled Eggs

All the components of the salad are in the filling, including the oft-overlooked and under-appreciated anchovy. Recipe available in D’Lish Deviled Eggs.

8. Boursin & Garlic Deviled Eggs with Herb Salad

Rich, creamy, cheesy, garlicky. Recipe available in D’Lish Deviled Eggs.

How to Make Better Deviled Eggs

1. The easiest way to get smooth yolks is to mash them thoroughly with a fork. You could also use with a whip attachment (ideal for bigger batches), a ricer if you want them really smooth, or a food processor as is done here.

2. Spoon-filled deviled eggs will look laid back and rustic but not as nice; eggs that have been filled with a piping bag are elegant.

3. For piping, a number of different options are available:
-Professional cake decorating bags come with different kinds of tips (see #4).
-Disposable plastic piping bags are available in the baking section of most grocery stores.
-Or just use a plastic sandwich bag by simply cutting off the corner tip with scissors (as is done here.)

4. If you do get pro pastry bags, the tip you pipe the filling with is largely an aesthetic choice, although some fillings are better suited to certain tip styles than others. Chunkier fillings would be best piped through a large plain round tip, while smoother fillings look lovely when applied with a large star tip.

These great tips and recipes are from D’Lish Deviled Eggs, a new cookbook by Kathy Kasey. Check it out for more ideas, including several classic deviled egg recipes.