Deviled Eggs: The Hotter The Better

One of the items most people have on their menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and/or Easter is deviled eggs. It is a side dish usually served cold and more often as not served as an appetizer. In some settings, deviled eggs are served as hors d'oeuvres. They are a staple dish at any formal gathering in the southern United States but are common throughout the United States. According to Wikipedia, they are a common dish in Hungary, France, and Germany as well (but are called "Russian Eggs" in Germany).

Deviled eggs are hard-boiled eggs halved, the yolks removed and combined with any number of ingredients, and the concave indentation left by the missing yolk refilled with the composite mixture. They're called deviled because, when the recipe first came into vogue, they were made 'spicy' or hot to the palate, i.e. "deviled," with Dijon mustard. But decades of preparation and variations on the theme have produced the modern deviled egg, which can be stuffed with any number of things, not all of them spicy, and still be called "deviled."

The most generic form of deviled egg is stuff with a composite mixture of mayonnaise, yellow mustard, and egg yolk. Some add pepper. Some a dash of salt. Some add paprika to make it look 'fancy.'

The next step up from that is to add diced pickle, sweet or dill. Some go this addition one better: relish. Since there are various types of relish, the taste of the deviled egg can vary widely from sweet relish to dill relish and all types in between.

Deviled eggs can get ornate, with ingredients added that some might think a bit superfluous, such as sprigs of parsley. But, then, some people like their deviled eggs on the fancy side. Some add capers, diced onions, various hot sauces, garlic, horseradish, chutney, cheese, mushrooms, smoked salmon, caviar, and many other ingredients.

Personally, this writer likes his food on the spicy side. Not the tingly, spicy side, although that is alright. But only as a precursor. I like it hot. The so-hot-my-mouth-is-on-fire side of hot.

I use pickled hot jalapenos, habanero sauce, and ground red or cayenne pepper.

Not all at once. The jalapenos and habanero sauce are the main additional ingredient. I use one or the other. Then I dust the top of the stuffed egg with the ground red or cayenne pepper.

For the base, I use the yolks, of course, and mayonnaise, with Dijon or spiced brown mustard added in. Then I add either diced jalapenos or habanero sauce. When adding the habanero sauce, care must be taken to leave the base composite dryer than you would when adding the diced jalapenos (unless you add the jalapeno pickle juice). Nobody likes a runny deviled egg. You finish with a dusting of red or cayenne pepper, or, if you think your eggs are already hot enough, you can opt for paprika - or nada.

Amounts of ingredients can be varied to taste, just like what ingredients that go into the mix. Some people like more mayonnaise. Some like more mustard. Some like them hot. Some like them not.

Feel free to experiment. Remember: It's your palate. But if you're preparing food for others, it is a good idea to offer a variety of eating options.

My favorite part of making deviled eggs is after the composite is made and the stuffing has been placed inside the hollowed eggs. There is always several tablespoons worth of stuffing left (makes perfect sense when you think about it). And just like with cookie dough or whipped cake icing, I eat the remainder.

Although Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays are traditional times when deviled eggs are served, those need not be the only times when they are served. In my house, they're served on at least a biweekly basis. And that excludes holidays.