Our one year anniversary is quickly approaching here at Food Safety News, and despite the fact that we’ve only met in person twice during the last year we’ve held 2 successful virtual picnics–one on Memorial Day and one on the 4th of July.  As summer comes to a close, we’re hosting another virtual picnic. 

This Labor Day we’re pleased to introduce our new managing editor, Mary Rothschild, who is bringing one main course–crab cakes.  We’re thrilled to have Mary join us.

In addition to Mary’s crab cakes, Suzanne is bringing another main course–pork chops. For sides, Michelle is bringing a roasted beet and goat cheese salad and Denis is bringing deviled eggs.  Helena is bringing a fruit crumble for dessert.  Dan is bringing the beverage, or in his words, “The best whiskey on Earth.”

We’re sharing our recipes here, so you can join in our virtual potluck or use them at your next one. 

Have a Safe Labor Day Weekend!

The Food Safety News team.

According to the entry on deviled eggs at Wikipedia, the deviled egg originated in ancient Rome, and they are still quite popular in Europe.[1]  “In France they are called œuf mimosa; in Hungary, töltött tojás vagy kaszinó tojás; in Romania, ouă umplute (“stuffed eggs”); in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany, where they are usually filled with caviar and served in rémoulade sauce, they are known as “Russian Eggs” (a title that comes from the presence of the caviar).”  And, of course, in the United States, Deviled Eggs are a staple of summer picnics and backyard barbecues.

I adore deviled eggs, even mediocre ones.  Although it is possible to make a bad batch of deviled eggs, I can only imagine that this would be because the maker didn’t care or didn’t even try.  I mean, come on, this is not a difficult dish to make.  Even better, though, there is practically no limit to the possible variations.  To prove this point, I last night boiled a dozen eggs, and made eeviled eggs two ways, based just on what I happened to have in my refrigerator.  Both kinds turned out to be delicious, thus I highly recommend that you give my recipes a try, both of which require that you first hard-boil and peel some eggs,[2] and then cut them in half and put the yolks into a bowl–or in the case of making Deviled Eggs Two Ways, two bowls.

“Oooh, spicy!” Eggs

Add the following to your egg-yolks, adjusting for your preferences with regard to both taste and desired consistency.

– 4-5 Tablespoons of crema (Mexican sour cream) [3]
– 3-4 Tablespoons of salsa (the non-chunky kind)
– salt to taste
– chipotle chili powder (for garnish)
– cilantro leaves

When you have the taste and consistency you want, place the egg-yolk mixture into the egg-white halves. Garnish with a hearty dash of chipotle chili powder, and one cilantro leaf (which I did not have, so it’s not in the photo).

Deviled Eggs with Tuna

When I was growing up, one of my favorite sandwiches was egg salad with tuna mixed in.  And since I still love this combination of flavors, I thought–why not use it for deviled eggs.  Here’s how:

Add the following to your egg yolks, adjusting for your preferences with regard to both taste and desired consistency.

-3-4 Tablespoons of well-drained tuna (the kind in olive oil is best)
-4-5 Tablespoons of mayonnaise
-1-2 Tablespoons of hot dog relish (the yellow kind) [4]
-salt and pepper (to taste)
-cornichons, or small sweet pickles (for garnish)

When you have the taste and consistency you want, place the egg-yolk mixture into the egg-white halves. Garnish with a slice of cornichon.

References

1.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deviled_egg

2.  To learn how to make perfectly boiled eggs from the master, watch Jacques Pepin (my hero!) explain the hows and whys of boiling eggs, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idAUo_fyHW4 His explanation starts at about the two-minute mark.

3.  Crème fraiche will work too.  Or, just take regular sour cream, add a little milk, and stir until creamy and just slightly runny.

4.  If you don’t have hot dog relish, use sweet pickle relish and add a tablespoon of mustard.