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BACDS 2004 Playford Ball
April 3rd, 2004 |
PlayFood: Deviled Eggs
"Baruhen Grown" "The Eggar Boy" "Jovial Eggars" "Newcackle" "Oh Hell" "The Wonid Cluck" Based on Betty Cracker's Cookbook, with narrative and other corroborative detail provided by Michael Penk. Recipe for 6 curried eggs (12 half-eggs): 6 egg yolks 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise 1 tsp Madras hot curry powder Recipe for 4 dozen eggs (96 half-eggs): 4 dozen eggs yolks (start with 4 1/2 dozen) 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise 2 tsp. white pepper 2 2/3 Tablespoons Madras hot curry powder Mix filling thoroughly, preferably with a blender or food processor. Pastry bags do not like lumps—and you won't either if you're the one who fills the eggs. Put eggs in cold salted water (salt helps keep egg white from coming out all over the place in case an egg should crack before it has become firm). Bring to a slight boil (the first big rolling bubbles are forming on the bottom, but are not making it to the top of the water), lower the heat ( see occasional bubbles forming on the bottom) and keep on the heat for 8 minutes ( a hard boil produces rubberier eggs than a gentle simmer). Stir several times, thus trying to better center the yolks. Take off heat and rinse with cold water, not allowing eggs to uncover. As they cool, they will absorb water, and will be easier to peel. keep covered in cold water (even with ice cubes), to cut possibility of spoilage (and salmonella). To peel, crack lightly all over, rub the egg fairly vigorously between your palms (this greatly loosens the shell). After peeling, put back in cold water. To cut, use a thin sharp knife. Place the knife in a pan of cold water after each cut, as this makes cutting much easier. Cut lengthwise, and try not to cut where the yolk is very close to the surface. Store the whites in very cold water, and put the yolks frequently into the refrigerator to keep them cold). Don't make the eggs more than I day in advance; cooked eggs don't keep as well as eggs in the shell in their original carton. Also don't wash the eggs when you buy them ( if you are keeping them several days before using); they lose freshness faster when the shell has been washed. Fill the eggs the same day as they are to be eaten. Use a pastry bag to fill egg white cavities generously. Sprinkle the tops with paprika. Refrigerate. Other Notes. I made 6 dozen for the 1991 BACDS Playford Ball, and they were scarfed up. I started with 7 dozen eggs, but some eggs didn't peel cleanly, and others broke when they were cut. Medium eggs were used, to keep the halves bite-sized. It is a good idea to make a trial run with a few eggs, to verify that the eggs are suitable, and that the curry powder tastes good. The eggs should be about I week on shelf (so as not to stick to shell), but no more (so as not to be too stale). If the eggs have 2 to 2.5 weeks of shelf life left (but not more), they seem to peel well. Try several brands of Madras curry powder (purchase in an Indian store), as often the curry powder on the shelf has lost its flavor. The brand that tasted best looked awful on the outside: it was rusty, dented, and stained. (I got it at Spiceland in Santa Clara, on Pomeroy St., just off El Camino, east of Lawrence Expressway). Michael recommends: • Agmark brand curry powder • Hollywood brand mayonnaise