Cooking Around the Calendar

Winter is leaving and Easter is right around the corner!

When I was a youngster, we would dye all of our Easter eggs, and have the typical Easter egg hunt in our in the backyard. Once we were done with that frivolity, we would peel the eggs and dye them again before turning them into deviled eggs.

I don’t know when I discovered that dying the eggs twice was not something most people do. But, it’s fun, festive, and doubles your egg dying entertainment!

The other thing we do that most people don’t is put a dollop of caviar on top of our deviled eggs. It makes such a perfect combination. Just a dollop of salty umami goodness and your everday egg becomes an elegant nibble.

I always remember my daughter, at around age 9 or 10, the first time her step-grandmother served us deviled eggs. She looked up, all innocent blue eyes, and asked, “But, where is the caviar?” Just goes to show, you are never too young to be a foodie.

Here is my mother’s almost foolproof method of doing hardboiled eggs.

Place one dozen eggs in a pot, cover completely with cold water. Bring water & eggs to a boil. Do not cover with a lid. As soon as the water begins boiling, remove pot from heat.  Cover with lid and set timer for exactly 20 minutes.

Once the 20 minutes are up, immediately pour out the hot water and replace with cold water and ice. Once the eggs are completely cooled, they are ready to peel.

Note: Older eggs peel easier than newer eggs. We usually buy them a week before we need them. If you are buying eggs right before you need them, look at the expiration date on the egg carton and buy the oldest ones you can find.