Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Devilled Eggs

Posted Under: Kitchen Tips for Recipe Success

Back when I was an intern in the L. A. Times Test Kitchen, Donna Deane, the test kitchen director asked me to develop several recipes for the upcoming Easter Dinner story. Um…something with chocolate Easter eggs came to mind, but that idea wasn’t practical. Instead, I pulled from a childhood memory, my mom’s devilled eggs. I updated the recipe with the addition of sun-dried tomatoes, capers and basil to give it a new twist.

The writers and editors who sampled the devilled eggs that week must have filed that recipe away. Because at the end of December the Food Section staff reviews their favorite recipes and compiles a list of the Top Ten Recipes of the Year. I was surprised to learn it wasn’t one of my pastries that they had chosen, but the simple devilled egg.

Hard cooking eggs can be a little tricky. Here are a few tips that I have found to work well. First, use older eggs. The fresher the egg the harder they are to peel. Buy the eggs, keep for a week in your refrigerator before cooking, just be sure to use before the expiration date. Then place the eggs in a saucepan filled with cold water. Bring water to a gentle simmer, boiling the eggs can toughen the whites and cause a greenish-blue film to form on the outside of the yolk. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of ice water. After a minute, gently crack eggs on the counter and remove the shell. The devilled eggs can be made a day ahead, just store the filling and egg whites separately in a covered container in the refrigerator. Pipe the filling into eggs up to a few hours before serving.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Devilled Eggs (Makes 24 filled eggs)

12 large eggs8 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, rinse and pat dry

2 tablespoons capers, drained and pat dry

1 medium shallot

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ cup mayonnaise

4 tablespoons finely chopped basil, divided

Place the 12 eggs in a large saucepan filled with cold water. Bring to a gentle simmer and set the timer for 12 minutes. Fill a bowl with ice cubes and cold water and set aside. Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes, capers and shallot in a mini-food processor or by hand.

When the eggs are done, remove with slotted spoon and place in ice water. Chill for a few minutes and peel. Slice in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and use a spatula to smash the yolks through a fine-meshed strainer. Stir together the yolks, tomatoes, capers, shallot, mustard, mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons basil in a small bowl. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with the filling and pipe into the egg whites. Sprinkle with remaining basil and refrigerate until ready to serve. Alternately, spoon filling into a resealable plastic bag, snip off one corner and squeeze into egg whites.

Chef Mary Ellen Rae is the owner of Personal Touch Gourmet; specializing in private and group in-home cooking classes and catering. Contact Personal Touch Gourmet at 310-403-5682 or MaryEllen@PersonalTouchGourmet.net