I was going to write about deviled eggs this morning and do sort of a pre-holiday public service for all those celebrations we are going to have. I sat down at the computer about five hours ago, and have gotten exactly nowhere.
I am not quite sure how things got out of control. Is it that all of my friends are of a certain age (code for disintegrating farts) and have too much time on their hands? I don’t know- the email queue actually goes the wrong way when I get to working on it.
There is an awful lot of things to BE REALLY ALARMED ABOUT (sorry to yell) but the first note of the morning got me off down the Second Amendment rabbit hole, which made me dyspeptic, and the addition of a note from a pal about arctic sea ice (both poles are either above the standard deviation (South) or just below it (North) and yet there are commercials showing Santa sweating his butt off and wondering about cancelling Christmas.
A third pal chimed in about the 4th Amendment issues in the NSA collection case, which is so confusing that I can’t sort out my feelings. I dislike Mr. Snowden and Ms Manning for their treachery, but have come around to the idea that the continuing drip-drip-drip of disclosures has pointed out a fundamental discontinuity of case law and technology.
Yeah, I responded, it is pretty strange out there in Fourth Amendment Country. I mean, there was a time when the “externals” of snail-mail and telephone communications did not include the meat of the message. They do now, and even if we do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in who we communicate with, we are entitled to an expectation that the Government is not listening to us- or reading our mail- without a legitimate warrant.
I don’t know. I guess the whole concept of privacy in “persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures” is all painfully quaint these days, and another pal jumped all over it and commented that it is because we do not understand our history beyond a couple decades ago.
How did he say it? He said that the people running things have “seen the movie, but not read the book.”
I liked that, but I liked even more the relief I felt when I worked down the queue and found my Shenandoah pal’s recipe for pumpkin cheesecake. She is a gem, my pal is, and I can’t wait to try it out. I will get it to you once we finish these pesky eggs.
Anyhow, in the pre-Ohio Turnpike days of the 1950s Raven would load us up with Big Mama in shotgun of the Rambler station wagon and we would drive south from Grabbingham and then generally east and south to Akron, past the Blue Moon Diner that had such a magical effect on the three of us little ones in the back seat. We only stopped once. The kids liked it a lot, Big Mama not so much, since it was an imposition of time and expense on the limited amount available.
Then south past Akron and the amazing dirigible hangar that was as big as anything made by the hand of man up to that point, and eventually to State Route 21 and into the pleasant brick village of Massillon with the old stately homes and welcoming canopy of trees.
Grandma was quite the cook. Our favorite summer arrival dinner started with the beet-colored deviled eggs, and was followed by a hearty meal with City Chicken as the entree.
(City Chicken on the skewers)
Remember the “Chicken in every pot” line from Depression days? It was not so far away then, and veal and pork was much cheaper than real fowl, and Grandma would cut up the ingredients and skewer them on little sticks and deep fry them in a delicate breading.
I could go off on that, but I need to stay focused. The mystery of the purple deviled eggs is one that has followed me down through the years, and going through Big Mama’s recipe book I found the answer.
I thought perhaps Grandma actually boiled the eggs in water and beet juice, but not so. That is why I dragged you through the perfect Hard Boiled egg the last few days, and will now pick up where that left off:
(Devil’s Own Deviled Eggs (makes 12 halves, which I have been known to devour myself.)
6 eggs
1 can pickled beets
1 cup apple cider vinegar- Heinz is OK.
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon peppercorns (I used the fiery pink ones- sort of like Flamingos)
1 teaspoon Truffled sea salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Duke’s mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh rosemary for garnish (not for the allergic)
Hard boil the eggs within the specification to produce smooth non-Noriega surfaces and remove the shells. Set the eggs aside. Resist the temptation to throw them at the television.
To prepare the brine, pour the can of pickled beets into a large mason jar or bowl. Add cider vinegar, sugar, peppercorns and salt. Stir mixture carefully (that beet juice will stain the crap out of Formica surfaces like the ones in the rental unit where I live!) lower the hard boiled eggs into the brine as neatly as my Motor City pal does, cover and let sit for at least 12 hours, or up to 2 or three days depending on how dark you would like the coloring. That additional time will also increase the sour note in the taste- purely your call.
That makes me think about infusing vodka- I need to make a couple batches for the holidays, but I will have to get to that some other morning. Although an eye-opening might be nice to start the day…
(The wire cutter works on cheese as well as eggs and is an asset to any kitchen)
Anyway, when brining time is finished, cut each egg in half. This is a tricky part, but I have one of those cool single wire cutters and scoop out yolks. Place yolks in a medium-sized bowl, along with the mustard, mayonnaise, curry, vinegar, and olive oil. Mix/mash until smooth. You can always add a little bit of water to the mixture, if it’s too stiff. Salt and pepper to taste- try some of Left Coast Guy’s sea salt with Truffle- I ordered some and am anticipating the best.
Using a pastry bag or a plastic bag with the corner cut off, pipe the yolk mixture back into the pink eggs. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary (unless you are allergic, you know who you are) and season with Truffle Sea Salt and pepper.
Enjoy. Avoid talking about politics, health care or Constitutional issues. Relax. I am sure it all going to be fine.
Copyright 2013 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com
Twitter: @jayare303