I will eat them here and there

[melo_annechen]

Yep, gotta do something with eggs. I gotta warn you, this one might be something you want to make a day (or two) ahead, if you want these for brunch on Sunday.

I was supposed to make deviled eggs for a party ages ago, and though I remembered to buy the extra dozen eggs, I forgot to buy more mayonnaise for the traditional recipe. We were due to arrive in two hours, and really, I couldn’t leave the eggs on the stove. Not because the stove was on, but my Dad was in the house, and he was able to make a meal from hard-cooked eggs. He also loved mayonnaise sandwiches, which was the reason we were out of mayo.

But I had pesto sauce, and a strange sense of humor. Himself caught me quoting the book as I was assembling the eggs. We made sure to tell the others at the picnic what was going on, as pesto was not a big thing locally yet.

Thus is the tale behind the platter of Green Eggs and Ham I take to certain picnic events. It is a little labor-intensive, but worth it for the looks.

First, to boil the eggs, and I leave the instructions here because I kept forgetting the best way to prepare them.

Something that few cookbooks mention, is you first need to bring the eggs to room temperature. Those crazy Americans, washing the eggs before storing them in the refrigerator, from farm to table. So let them warm up on the counter, but not more than a couple of hours.

Bring a LARGE pot of water to a boil. I am serious, eggs need room to cook evenly. I use about one scant cup per egg in my five quart stockpot. Once the water is at a rolling boil, slip the eggs into the water. I found a slotted spoon works great to keep the splashing to a minimum.

Now for the part I always forget. Add one cup of cold water. No, really. Wait till the pot returns to a SOFT boil, then turn off burner, remove pan from heat and cover. Let eggs sit in the hot water, the time depending on the size of your eggs; fifteen minutes for small eggs, 20 for large.

While you are waiting, get an ice bath ready. When time is up, use the slotted spoon to transfer the eggs over.

Let sit till they are entirely cool. Crack, starting at the blunt end, and GENTLY roll them on the counter to crack the shells. Notice I did not say to peel the shells yet.

Now comes the freaky part. If you want just plain Jane deviled eggs, we’re going to part ways here. Because now, we’re going to marble the whites. When I’m doing the party platter, I use the green food coloring in one big batch, but hey, it’s Easter, let’s have some fun with it. Just be sure to use a Food Dye, not just one that is non-toxic. Place a few drops of each color in their own cup. A ten ounce coffee mug is a great size for this. How much to use? One or two drops for a pastel, more for a deeper hue. Pour hot water in each, filling them about ¾ full, and add teaspoon of distilled white vinegar to each cup. If you are doing the whole batch one color, a heatproof bowl or casserole works great, but remember you will need more than a few drops of food coloring for that batch. For a very deep color, one 0.25 fl oz bottle of food coloring in a three quart casserole with two quarts of water and ¼ cup vinegar will work.

Place the eggs into the cups or your casserole dish and make sure they are fully submerged. Next, allow them to sit for at least four hours in the refrigerator. I did say you might want to make this a day ahead, right?

Pull back the shells to reveal your marbled eggs. If you need some extra lubrication sometimes peeling the egg under running water can help.

Next, you want to go for the devilment.

Green Eggs

12 large hard-cooked eggs (we’ve done that part already)

¼ cup pesto sauce

Up to ¼ cup additional olive oil

Fresh basil for garnish

Slice each egg lengthwise in half. Gently remove yolks and place in small bowl; with fork, finely mash yolks. I often push them through a sieve to make the texture very fine. Stir in pesto, and gradually add more olive oil to make them a smooth but firm paste. Most batches I’ve made haven’t needed any additional oil, but there have been a few that needed the extra help.

If you don’t have a deviled-egg serving platter (don’t laugh, wedding registries in the South love that sort of thing) place egg-white halves in 15 1/2-inch by 10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan lined with paper towels (to prevent eggs from sliding all over creation). You can spoon the yolk mixture into the egg-white halves, or if you are that fussy about it, put the yolks into a piping bag with a star tip. I often go the middle road, putting the yolks in a plastic bag, and snipping a 1/4 inch section from the corner to fill the egg whites

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Chiffonade large basil leaves for garnishing, or garnish with the tiny basil leave.

The ham pinwheels are fairly easy in comparison:

Mix 8 oz of room-temperature cream cheese with ¼ cup chopped chives, and spread on eight flour tortillas or wraps; try spinach tortillas if you can get them. Layer thin-sliced ham on the cream cheese, leaving some of the cheese exposed to help keep them rolled. I usually end up using ¼ pound of ham. Then roll them, and slice. You will want to keep these covered until serving as well.

~o0O0o~

BICHELL, Rae Ellen. "Why The U.S. Chills Its Eggs And Most Of The World Doesn't." NPR. September 12, 2014. Accessed March 20, 2016. http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why-the-u-s-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt.

Geisel, Theodor Seuss. Green Eggs and Ham. New York, NY: Random House, 1960.

"U.S. Food and Drug Administration." Egg Safety: What You Need to Know. Accessed March 20, 2016. http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm077342.htm.

Weinberger, Emily. "Easy Easter Trick: Crackled Eggs." Good Housekeeping. April 01, 2014. Accessed March 20, 2016. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a25416/crackled-dyed-eggs/.