Running out of ideas on what to serve your guests when you’re having a little get-together? Don’t throw yourself into a panic. There are plenty of easy and delicious dishes you can make that will fix your dilemma. You can always go for the all-time classic finger food — deviled eggs.
You don’t need to be a master chef in order to make the perfect little eggs. They’re simple enough for home cooks of any skill level to make and riff on.
Why are they called deviled eggs?
You may be wondering why we call something so delicious “deviled.” As far back as the 17th century, the term ‘deviled’ referred to dishes prepared with hot seasonings such as mustard or cayenne, so these sinfully delightful boiled eggs got their names simply because of the seasonings mixed in with the yolk. The yolk mixture is typically blended in with mayonnaise, mustard, pepper and paprika, creating a slightly spicy filling for empty egg whites.
How far ahead can I make deviled eggs?
Deviled eggs are a popular vintage appetizer to serve for a crowd while celebrating Easter or any special occasion. But if you plan on making them ahead of time, be warned that the quality of your eggs may suffer. If refrigerated properly, your deviled eggs should be safe to eat three to four days after. However, the yolk mixture can dry out in the refrigerator.
It really is best to make these at most a few hours before serving. If you find yourself in a time crunch, you can boil your eggs ahead of time -- hard-boiled eggs can last in the refrigerator for at least a week. After that, mixing up the yolks and filling the eggs back up takes less than 15 minutes.
How do you make deviled eggs from scratch?
Making deviled eggs is a simple process. First, you need to know how to hard boil eggs properly. Once you mastered that, peel the egg shells. Cut your eggs into halves lengthwise and scoop out the cooked yolks into a separate bowl. For a classic deviled egg, blend the yolks with mayonnaise, mustard, pepper and paprika until a smooth texture is achieved. Place the mixture in a piping bag and pipe it out into the empty cavities of the egg whites. Voila! You have deviled eggs.
For this recipe, we changed things up a bit by combining two favorite appetizers into one: Buffalo chicken dip and deviled eggs. The process of making this dish remains the same, however, the yolks are combined with shredded chicken, blue cheese crumbles, ranch dressing and hot sauce.
This recipe isn’t the only way you can get creative with your deviled eggs. You can soak your eggs in pickled beets that will give it a beautiful purple hue. Or add some of your favorite ingredients to the filling like cheddar and bacon. No matter how you mix up your eggs, you’re going to have a good time. And while you’re serving deviled eggs, consider trying these vintage recipes no one makes anymore but should.
Buffalo Chicken Deviled Eggs
Ingredients:
6 hard-boiled eggs
6 ounces rotisserie chicken, shredded and chopped finely
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
2 tablespoons ranch dressing (or blue cheese if you prefer)
1/4 cup Frank’s Buffalo sauce
Celery, thinly sliced for a garnish
Directions:
Step 1: Peel and cut 6 hard-boiled eggs in half, scooping out the yolks into a medium-sized bowl.
Step 2: Add 6 ounces shredded rotisserie chicken and 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles to the bowl of yolks. Mix well. Add 2 tablespoons ranch dressing, 1/4 cup Frank’s Buffalo sauce and mix until the Buffalo sauce covers everything.
Step 3: Using a pastry bag with a large tip, pipe the chicken mixture into the egg halves, about 1 tablespoon per egg half. Garnish with thinly sliced celery and drizzle with extra Buffalo sauce if you want more heat. Enjoy!
By Diamond Bridges
© 2021 Tribune Publishing; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
