James' Famous Deviled Eggs

A couple of years ago, I decided that one of my personal missions would be to help keep the tradition of deviled eggs alive. For as long as I can remember, I've loved deviled eggs. The only trouble is, I seldom see people make them anymore. Tim's mom makes them on Easter, but I can't think of a single other person I personally know that makes them on any regular basis.

In fact the only time I ever see deviled eggs anymore are the mass-produced ones you see at the grocery store. Gone, it seems, is the fine art of making deviled eggs. So this weekend, I made up a new batch for our Labor Day BBQ. Below, I give you my tricks of the trade.

The first secret is having perfectly-centered yolks. The solution is to stand your egg carton on its side the night before. Works much better than eggs that have been sitting upright.


The night before, stand your egg carton on its side to ensure centered yolks. (09/03/05)

The secret to perfectly yellow yolks is the way the eggs are boiled. Over-boiling will give yolks that grayish green color. I place the eggs in a large saucepan, fill with water so that there's about an inch of water above the eggs, and then bring to a boil. At the boiling point, I remove the eggs from the heat and let them stand in the hot water for 15 minutes. Then I remove from the hot water and place under cold running water to halt the cooking process.


To get perfectly yellow yolks, place eggs in pan, fill with water, bring to boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand 15 minutes. (09/03/05)

Next I shell the eggs (it works best when still warm) and slice in half. The whites go in my Tupperware-brand Deviled Egg Serving Dish, while the yolks go into the mixing bowl. Then, for an extra creamy filling, I squeeze the yolks through a mesh strainer.


I always squeeze the cooked yolks through a mesh strainer, which provides for a smoother, creamier filling. (09/03/05)

Then I prepare the filling. Everybody has a different recipe for this, but typically I add a half-cup of mayonnaise, a couple of tablespoons of white wine vinegar, chopped parsley, chopped scallions, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and salt to taste. Sometimes I get a little creative, like adding chopped artichoke hearts, olives, etc. but mostly I stick to the recipe listed here.

To fill the egg whites, I use a cake decorating kit to make them look oh so tasty. Then I garnish with some of the chopped parsley that I saved from the earlier step and a sprinkle of paprika. I then take some of my left over parsley leaves and insert them in between the deviled eggs. And voila! You get James' deviled eggs.


Next, I prepare the filling, dispense with a cake decorating kit, and garnish with parsley and paprika. Delicious! (09/03/05)