Ingredients
- 6 eggs large
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp paprika sweet or mild
- 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp chives finely chopped
- 3/8 tsp paprika sweet or mild
Garnishes
- 1/2 tsp chives finely chopped
- 1 tbsp caviar any caviar of choice
Instructions
Hard-boil the Eggs
- Begin by placing 6 large eggs in a pan just big enough to hold them (too much room and the eggs will move around, crash into each other and run the risk of splitting)
- Cover entirely with cold water and pop a lid on the pan
- Bring the water up to the boil, then continue to cook the eggs for 7 minutes (use a timer as it is easy to forget about them)
- Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with very cold water – add some ice cubes to get it really cold
- Once the cooking time is up, drain the water from the pan and transfer the eggs into the bowl of ice cold water. Leave to cool completely. This rapid cooling will help make peeling the eggs an easier task
- To peel the eggs, tap them all over on a hard surface and peel off the shell. Rinse if necessary to remove any lingering pieces
Preparing the Cooked Eggs
- Next, slice each egg in half, again lengthways, so that you are left with 12 halves
Make the Egg Yolk Cream Filling
- Use a teaspoon to carefully pop the yolks out of their cavities. They should come out easily
- Suspend a fine-meshed sieve over a small mixing bowl and push the yolks through the sieve using the back of a small spoon-don't forget to scrape the back of the sieve once finished
- Next add mayonnaise, dijon mustard, paprika, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to the yolks. Mix well then taste & adjust seasoning to suit your tastes
- Tumble in some finely chopped chives and stir through
Assembling the Devilled Eggs
- Spoon the creamy filling into a piping bag fitted with a wide star nozzle and pipe the mixture into the egg whites to fill the cavities left by removing the yolks
- Sprinkle some paprika over the eggs, then scatter with chopped chives
- Finish by spooning ¼ – ½ teaspoon caviar onto the top of each egg
- Best served straight away (please refer to recipe notes regarding making in advance)
Notes
Tips for Making this Recipe in Advance (note: only parts of the recipe are suitable for making in advance)
I honestly feel that it is best to prepare only to stage 2 (boiling the eggs and preparing the filling) in advance and then proceed to assemble the eggs just before serving.
- The eggs can be boiled up to 3 days in advance. Once cooked, cool completely, wrap in clingfilm and then store in the fridge until ready to proceed with the recipe
- The egg yolk filling can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Be sure to tightly wrap the prepared whites and closely cover the filling before refrigerating
- Technically, you could pipe the filling into the yolk cavities up to 24 hours in advance, provided you are able to cover them loosely and keep them chilled. But there is a risk that the filling will dry out unless covered very closely with clingfilm, which might also mean that the neat piping gets damaged