Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Recipe 666: Deviled Eggs – Damn, These Were Hella Good

As I approached my 666th upload on YouTube, several subscribers wondered if I would do some sort of satanic-inspired recipe. Since one of my New Year’s resolutions was to eat less chocolate cake, I decided to go with the next most obvious choice.

My deviled eggs recipe is fairly standard, except I like to add a little cream cheese. Unlike mayonnaise, cream cheese firms up when chilled, and provides a little more luxurious texture. The other glaring addition is a simple, yet stunning ring of candied Fresno chili pepper. I think a little sweetness is important to balance the sharp flavors, and these “rings of fire,” along with a dash of rice vinegar, worked perfectly.

Besides sharing this much-requested recipe, and the gratuitous use of the words, “damn” and “hell,” the other reason I wanted to do this video was to prove that our previously posted hard-boiled egg method works as advertised. The procedure was posted back in March 2010, and some complained it didn’t work. Well, I used the exact same method, and it worked perfectly, again.

This time I’m giving an exact temperature of 210 degrees F, whereas before I just said to bring to a simmer. I imagine many failures were due to people not getting it to a high enough temperature. You also need a heavy pot and tight lid, as well as live close to sea level, but other than that, you should be fine.

By the way, I did try to get the Devil to make a cameo appearance, but he was too busy meeting with the Kardashians on a new deal. Anyway, the NFL playoffs are just about to start (Go, Giants!), so maybe give these sinfully delicious deviled eggs a try for your next big game day buffet. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
12 large eggs cooked in 3 quarts of water as shown
2 tbsp cream cheese
1/3 cup mayo
1/2 tsp Sriracha or to taste
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
chives to garnish
For the candied peppers:
1/4 cup red chili rings
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp water

53 comments:

Dawn's Recipes said...

Hilarious! I love how you used every opportunity to squeeze in a devilish comment!

On a serious not, I've never been a big deviled egg fan, but these I'm going to try. The sweet/hot pepper rings have sucked me in. I half expected you to refer to them as Satan's halos. ;)

Anonymous said...

Chef John. I really love eggs but hate egg yolks, is there something else I can use?

Chef John said...

more cream cheese!

Jonathan said...

hum ok... where is the second part of the video where you put some cayenne :P ???

Chris K. said...

Chef John:

You live in a unique place in which the word "hella" is used as an intensive adjective. As in the first time I heard it, in a bar in Sacramento: "that shot was hella."

It seems Northern Californians don't have enough time to utter the words "hell of a -," instead choosing to contract the phrase to "hella," which gets really annoying to everyone else after about 10 minutes.

So thank you for not describing your deviled eggs as being "hella good."

Anyway, my friend Don is a professional musician, and in that capacity he works at a lot of wedding receptions. He is also a fiend for deviled eggs. At previous wedding gigs he's been asked (politely) to stay away from the deviled eggs, after making a nuisance of himself. So I'm going to make this recipe for him.

And what the hell is a Fresno pepper? Is that just some weak kind of Californian way to say something nice about Fresno? I've been there. You don't have to defend it.

http://biblioklept.org/2010/11/24/vladimir-nabokovs-recipe-for-eggs-a-la-nabocoque/ Bad cooking technique from a hella good writer.

Sheetal Marathe said...

Undoubtedly You are my food god :)

Anonymous said...

"You know who you are"... LOL!!! That is awesome!

My mouth was watering watching the egg yolks come together.

Can't wait to try the 17 minute method either. I've come across quite a few different approaches, but somehow I think this will be simple enough to remember.

Thanks, Chef John!

David said...

Chef John, you were on fire!

Anonymous said...

Chef John-Happy New Year!
You crack me up!! I will do these deviled eggs this weekend. I so love these videos you do, thanks so much...keep up the good work!
:->) Jan

Unknown said...

This looks yummy!!

On a side note... I LOVE this site. I've tried a few recipes, and they turned out great. The videos are awesome, as well. It's like food porn for me...

David Skytte said...

Any tips or tricks to get your yolks to stay in the centre, or is it just a matter of using fresh eggs.

Randy said...

I put all of the yolk ingredients into a Ziploc bag (usually nested over the lip of a glass to make it sturdy), zip it up and then knead together the ingredients in that bag until well mixed (no need to get bowl or whisk or spatula dirty).

Then just snip off the corner of the bag and pipe the contents into the egg white halves.

philogaia said...

David, if you put a rubber band around the egg carton and store it on its long side for a day the yolks will center.

Chef John; I do the simmer gently for 10 minutes after the water just reaches a boil method and I do question how well your method works unless you cook a dozen eggs in a large pan with 3 quarts of water. I have no doubt that works but question whether smaller amounts (which is usual for me) would work. Though I do love the yolks a bit runny in some cases so I may give it a go when it matters less.

Kelly Toon said...

My secret ingredient for devilled eggs is an avocado, I think it takes the place if the cream cheese in your recipe. It adds a velvety richness and an attractive color. I like to use olive oil in the mix as well. I garnish with drops of chile oil, and maybe a little lemon zest. The sweethot chili rings are going to look GREAT with my green deviled eggs!

Daeril said...

The hard boiled egg method works. Tested a dozen times worked for me every time. Two or a dozen eggs no matter.

philogaia said...

So Daeril, the method will work using less water? Say one quart and cooking two eggs?

Anonymous said...

I can't cope with the pressure of life and soon-to-come exams...I wish I was a cat living in someone else's garden. I would get 2 or 3 meals a day and would live a stress-free life made of naps, kneading and eating.

Anonymous said...

Chef John-

Your instructions for boiling eggs could be an epitaph: "He needed a thermometer to tell when water reached a simmer!"

The problem is that water will not reach a temperature of 210DegF at elevations above about 984 feet MSL. Where I live, the boiling point is about 204DegF.

Maybe you should consider using sous vide for cooking the eggs if you are determined to use a thermometer.

Also, your technique for shelling the eggs would be interesting.

Jim

Anonymous said...

It is true that time for hard boiling eggs changes with altitude. San Francisco is at sea level after all. Where I live, it takes twenty minutes to get eggs to be hard. I do use your method--it just takes a little longer.
I notice that you skipped over the peeling segment :-). Did they really all come out that nice?
Jackie

Nepenthe said...

Yumminy-goodness! I'm going to try this as soon as my diet is over.

Daeril said...

philogaia: As I remember in the original recipe there was a vague description of covering the eggs with about an inch water. Being a continental european I have no idea how much an inch is so I eyeball it every time. Works best with thick bottomed pans, I once had cracked an egg with thin bottoms, the yolk was perfect though.

Stephanie said...

I made deviled eggs (not exactly this recipe but similar) with your HOME-MADE mayo recipe you posted on this site and it was amazing! best deviled eggs anyone ever had.

Anonymous said...

What the heck is printed on the eggs? Is that a west coast thing? (I've never seen it here in New Jersey)

inchrisin said...

I'm thinking about trying the boiled eggs method. I have an electric stove and the time it will take to bring the water to a simmer will be longer than those who have gas stoves. Will this change the results?

Maybe nobody wants to talk to the chef with a crappy stove, AKA leprosy.

Anonymous said...

Where exactly did you buy the piping bag? I can't find it anywhere where I live :(

Asta Léger said...

inchrisin: I'm with you on that. We are indeed a lesser bunch of electric stove cookin' losers. I think you just have to do your best with what you have (and asking questions as you just did helps too)

Heck I even leave meat out of recipes sometimes. From what I've gathered from passive aggressive snide remarks here that means I'm an even bigger part of Team Culinary Annoyance!

;)

Asta

dsowerg said...

Great recipe, as always!

Just a question about the parking lot jibe though. What's wrong with backing into parking lots? It's the default way of parking in my country.

Rusty Shackleford said...

GO NINERS!!! well, at least you're not a jets fan.

Margaret Grunseich said...

@anonymous in NJ, I'm from NY, now live in Nevada and the eggs are Eggland's best eggs, so they are stamped with a red/pink EB!

Margaret Grunseich said...

Is there anyway to print just the recipe and instructions from the video?

Chef John said...

No, but Allrecipes is working on typing up recipes!

Anonymous said...

Love the Kardashian joke btw!

Raquel said...

for those of us to live in another country and have no idea what Sriracha is, what can I use instead?. I used to have this with tuna and mayo when i was little , and i wanted to try this recipe,

thanks :D

Chef John said...

It's just hot sauce. Use anything spicy.

Gretchen in NOLA said...

I used Frank's hot sauce, cuz I personally find Sriracha kind of skanky :p and tabasco is a little to vinegary.

New Orleans is WELL below sea level and the 17 mins. seems just right. Be sure the cold water is ICE cold. I heard it causes the inside of the eggs to steam up or something, and pull that membrane stuff underneath the shell, away from the egg for easy peeling. Gotta check Alton B.'s take on that...hmmm...

Gretchen in NOLA said...

Oh yeah, could call the pepper rings "HELL-o's"...get it? Halos, hell-os? *crickets chirping*

Maya said...

Dear Chef John,

Whats the purpose of using vinegar or any acid for that matter in this recipe? Would love to know. Have a great day

Chef John said...

Depends on the recipe! But usually for the taste. Was this a trick question? ;)

Former NCali Girl said...

Your comment about backing into parking spaces had me cracking up laughing! I thought I was the only one that hated when people do that. >:|

Margaret Grunseich said...

Ok, ok, I'm guilty, I just love backing into parking spots, make it so much easier to make a fast getaway!!! LOL!!! Anyway, love your videos, you are hilarious!!!

kylethegirl said...

everyone is "going" to make these, but has anyone actually made them that would like to leave a comment?

Unknown said...

I recently found jarred Peppadew peppers at my local grocery store and love the taste. They may be tasty and quick alternative to the candied jalapenos.

Unknown said...

I am in a spicy mood today so here is another suggestion. I have a recipe for pickled eggs which I have always loved. What do you think about using pickled eggs for these deviled eggs?. I haven't tried it yet but, need some encouragement.

withextraonions said...

I know this is a couple years late, but I'm a new fan and was falling in love with you until I did the playoff math. Was this not the year the Giants played the 49ers? Yeah, I know you didn't grow up in the Bay Area, but you make enough Bay Area-love comments that I was certain you had adopted it as your surrogate home. Who did you root for that year when they actually played each other in the championship, hmm? This was a devilish act indeed: I'm both hungry from watching this delicious recipe and disappointed. Will my stomach overrule my loyalty? So torn.

Unknown said...

I love eggs, I love mayo, and I love cream cheese! Never occurred to me to add cream cheese to my deviled eggs. Gotta try it. Thx

Unknown said...

Hi Chef,
I posted on a comment under your jambalaya recipe a couple years ago and you replied I was going to make a man very lucky someday. Remember me? Even if you don't, you're still my favorite chef as your recipes are tried and true time after time. Fortunately for me, I found that lucky man and recently cooked about 10 different dishes for his family for Thanksgiving. Oh I stepped up to that plate and sure glad I did, with your help of course. These deviled eggs were a huge hit. Everyone loved them and a Bostonian making deviled eggs for a southern family is kind of like being a fish out of water. I had no clue what a deviled egg was as they are not popular in the northeast. Well, they loved them. One guest actually commented that "they were like crack and made you keep coming back for more". A little inappropriate and extreme indeed but boy that's just what every cook wants to hear! He said he was a connoisseur and these were by far the best he's ever had. I think the candied Fresno pepper was like the cherry on the sundae. I just wanted to say thank you for everything. Not only for a kickass deviled egg recipe but for teaching me so much more. I have learned technique, chemistry, cool tricks, and obviously awesome recipes! I can't thank you enough. hope you have Happy Holidays!
Meg

Chef John said...

Thanks for sharing! Happy holidays!

pigz476 said...

Hi Chef John,
I love your creative take on food, and how simple you make it to cook. I'm looking forward to trying these deviled eggs, but I was wondering if you know of an alternative to cream cheese. I'm 'trying' (and I use this loosely) to eat healthy. I like to stay as unprocessed as possible when I have the opportunity.
Thanks in advance!
Tricia from B-more

Pat said...

Thx Chef John for the sweet hot pepper rings :) I find it amazing all the comments on how to boil an egg omg lmao um i like green onions in deviled eggs so never see a bit of green in yolk anyway :)my experiance with you is as all things in life you have to except failure and stay the road Thx again your the best an um who winning superbowl i have to get bet in ! :)

Sally said...

Amazing! So many questions for such a simple procedure. Chef, I'm just an Iowa farm 'girl' but I've been boiling eggs for a long time too. So, for people who are unsure of how to boil an egg: I take out however many eggs I feel like boiling and put them into a pan that comfortably holds them. Take it to the sink and put enough cold water over them to just submerge them. Put the lid on the pot and put it on the stove (gas, electric, coal, wood..)on high until they come up to a boil (you can hear the eggs knocking on the pan, so you know it's boiling). As soon as you hear that, turn the stove off and go watch some more of Chef's videos. After a while (20 minutes? 30 minutes? an hour later?), when you remember that you have eggs on the stove, take them to the sink and pour them out. Run cold water over them to cool them enough to pick them up and put them in a bowl and place them in the fridge. (Wow-that's a lot of "them"s!) When they're cool enough to handle, peel the eggs and proceed with whatever you plan on doing. I've found that old eggs peel better than fresh ones. Also, any that don't peel "pretty" make egg salad with those and save your "pretty" ones for deviled eggs.

Sorry - this was long-winded but I just got so frustrated reading the comments! You must have the patience of a saint Chef. Anyway, keep on keeping on. You're doing a great service here and I've used some of your recipes; plus you've even taught this "old dog" some new tricks, so thanks for that. Have a great day, Chef.

Molly said...

Thanks to you for keeping this great information available. We are having a much-delayed Thanksgiving this Friday (Dec. 8) and I was looking for a change-up from my old way of making devilled eggs. So glad YouTube suggested this video! Now that the older members of our family are unable to be with us, we can make nice changes like the Sriracha and those pickled Fresno peppers. Back when I had to worry about fat grams for the elders' specialty diets I used to replace half the yolks with silken tofu and add in some food coloring to make up for it. They all ate it up happily but i can't wait to give this a try. Unfortunately, I cooked my eggs already in my little steamer egg cooker but promise to try your method for Christmas. Thank you, Chef John! I also loved all the funny comments as you always provide along with instruction. You are great!

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much for the recipe I can’t wait to finish it and take them to thanksgiving tomorrow. I just wanted to throw out there the way I boil eggs at work and they come out bright yellow inside. I did do it your way chef and they came out perfect just had just a small ounce of peeling the eggs. I bring the water to a boil and than add a dozen eggs. Keep the heat on high with the eggs in the pot and boil for 12 min minutes. Than turn off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Than getting as much water as you can out give the eggs an ice bath and let all the ice melt. Once all is melted peel.

Juris Blubmergs said...

These deviled eggs look wonderful. That is a prime example of food that has both the visual appeal and the great taste. I will try this next weekend!

I am experimenting with different methods of boiling eggs. Getting consistently hard boiled eggs is still a challenge for me.