Retro Fabulous Trio of Deviled Eggs

When I was a kid in the 1960's, no party or family gathering was considered complete without a big plate of halved, cooked egg whites filled in the center with a paste made from mashed egg yolks, jarred mayo and hot dog relish.  I said it then, and I still say it today:    BLECCHH!

Fast forward a few (okay, more than a few) decades, and Deviled Eggs seem to be making a comeback of sorts.  I have seen them on the menu of many a chic, innovative, fine-dining restaurant, but today's Deviled Eggs have nothing in common with the mid-century monstrosities my mama used to make.  (And to that I say glory hallelujah!  Sorry, ma'am, but it's time someone told you.)

Today's deviled eggs come in dozens of delicious varieties, using any number of inventive modern ingredients, but no matter which direction you want to go, It all starts with perfect hard-boiled eggs.


Here's a fun fact:  stuffed eggs have been around forever, but the term "deviled" came into use in the 18th century when eggs were most often stuffed with mustard, pepper and other zesty ingredients.  The resulting spiciness was considered devilishly delicious.  Now you know.

To make one dozen each of my trio of deviled eggs you need 18 large hard-boiled eggs -- cooled, peeled, and sliced in half lengthwise.  Remove the egg yolks and divide them evenly into three small mixing bowls, six whole yolks per bowl.  Mash the egg yolks, and then add in the following ingredients to mix together three different fillings:

Filling #1

• 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon of citrus vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard,
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried dill weed
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt

Filling #2

• 1 teaspoon of mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 cup of softened butter
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt

Filling #3

• 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/2 tablespoon of finely minced green onion
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 tablespoon of finely minced fresh parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt

Spoon each of the fillings into a piping bag with a star tip, and pipe evenly into the center of 12 hard boiled egg white halves.  (If you don't want to bother with a piping bag, just spoon it in.  It's all good.)

Before arranging the filled egg halves onto a serving plate, you will want to garnish each flavor to differentiate one from the other (and also to make your dish look pretty.)  I like using a sprinkle of paprika on #1, a tiny spoonful of minced sweet gherkins on #2, and a slice of black or green olive on #3.

And then stand back and watch these things get eaten up like it's 1965.  Some things never go out of style.