There are a few recipes in particular I have been enjoying this summer. The weather has been heating up, so I have been craving cooler things. My two favorites have been the classics: deviled eggs and egg salad.
For deviled eggs, I wing it when I make them. Since you need to hard boil them, I store a carton at a time in the fridge for over a week. Sometimes it takes two weeks for them to be best separated from the shell. When they are too fresh, they stick and you end up peeling away the egg whites – so frustrating.
I boil them all up, peel and carefully slice in half. The cooked yolks go in a boil and I mash them with a dollop of mayo, spoonful of dijon, paprika and whatever else I’m craving. Recently I tried pickle juice, which was okay. But some followers on Twitter gave me great suggestions:
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bungalowranch Cora Potter @hipchickdigs I like using creme fraiche and mustard instead of mayo.
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jknakayama Jason K Nakayama @hipchickdigs Curry powder instead of mustard rocks!
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From my friend Claudia: Rice vinegar to give them a fabulous tang
If you have suggestions, send them my way! I’m still perfecting how I make them, but they are my new favorite summer snack.
I found a fantastic egg salad recipe that I made recently, originally from AllRecipes. I know I reference that site a lot and it’s mostly because you can scan recipes until you see over 300 people gave it five out of a five stars. So here is my slightly-altered version to make enough for eight sandwiches:
- 12 eggs
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- salt and pepper to taste
- Place eggs in saucepan and bring to a boil for ten minutes. Run under cool water immediately to stop them from cooking. Peel and chop.
- Mix eggs with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, yellow mustard, lemon juice and green onions. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.
I made these into tea sandwiches on a hot day for a baby shower and they turned out great. They were really bright, bright yellow from the rich homegrown yolks and they were a big hit. I’m planning another batch later this week to enjoy when we’re vacationing in the high desert this month. It’s a cool, lightly filling lunch for those hot-hot-hot days.
Do you have some way to tell when they are old enough for the shell not to stick?? Would love to know any tricks you’ve got for that.
I have not found a trick yet, which is why I basically hide them in the fridge for over a week. It helps me keep straight which eggs are the “old” ones, since I keep our fresh eggs in a bowl on the counter. Honestly, I think a couple weeks in the fridge is actually better to avoid sticking.
Here is a trick to keep the shell from sticking to the egg – cook the eggs in salt water. Add salt to cold water and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the eggs and cook as usual. I usually use 1-2 Tbsp. in 1qt water to cook 6 eggs. Works most of the time.
Thanks for the tip! I have also heard something about baking soda working as well? We are doing some tests for a future post