How to Stuff an Egg

I've been a fool for stuffed eggs since I was a kid. You can call them deviled eggs if you wish, but I like to distinguish between the spicy, paprika, pickle and onion egg concoctions most often presented and the creamy, mild, slightly piquant stuffed eggs of my youth. That being established, I can honestly say I've never met an egg, be it stuffed or deviled, that I didn't like.

Stuffed eggs are another of those southernisms that have as many versions as cooks who make them, but the women in my family had a touch that was unique, and unfortunately they passed on before passing on the secret to me, which I still consider terribly inconsiderate of them.

To say I spent years searching for this recipe would not be an exaggeration, and although I made some lovely eggs along the way, even discovered entire books of deviled egg recipes, the formula for the melt-in-your mouth treats of my childhood remained elusive.

Then I saw this recipe in "The Gift of Southern Cooking" by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock, (which just may be the best southern cookbook of all time), and eureka! The minute I read it I knew I'd found it, the Holy Grail of stuffed/deviled eggs was mine at long last. The secret? Vinegar and cream!
They're smooth and fluffy with just the right amount of tang and such a bite of heaven there's no way you could call them deviled. And since I don't think there's any such word as angeled, (if there was, these would definitely be angeled eggs), I call them simply sublime.


Before you begin though, a few tips. Let's face it, eggs can be a bitch to peel. The secret to getting a perfectly peeled egg is not to use the freshest eggs in the store. Buy them at least a week before using, if you can, and, that failing, always purchase the eggs with the nearest "sell by" date, (just the opposite of what you would usually do). Make sure the eggs are at room temperature before boiling them and they'll be much less likely to crack. Finally, to assure that the yolk is in the center, turn the cartons on their sides the night before. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but, hey, it's worth a try.


SIMPLY SUBLIME STUFFED EGGS

1 dozen large eggs
1 tablespoon, plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Finely chopped chives

Put the eggs in a large saucepan, cover with water and add 1 tablespoon of the salt and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and let them sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Pour off the hot water and immediately run cold tap water over the eggs to stop the cooking, shaking the pan as you do to crack the eggshells.

When cool enough to handle, peel the eggs. Slice in half and remove yolks to a mixing bowl. Finely mash yolks with a fork or potato masher (or put them through a potato ricer). Mix in remaining 1/2 tablespoon vinegar (1 1/2 teaspoons), 1/2 teaspoon salt, sugar and mayonnaise. Blend until smooth. Beat in cream. (If you want them really smooth, use a hand mixer.) Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt, sugar or vinegar if needed. If too dry, add a bit more cream or mayonnaise.

Using a teaspoon, (or pastry bag if you want to get fancy), fill the egg white halves. Arrange on an egg plate, (You DO have an egg plate, don’t you?), and sprinkle with chopped chives.