Todd's Deviled Eggs

I'm excited to showcase my brother Todd's deviled eggs.  Not only is Todd a great cook, he is a 2-time Indiana girls high school basketball champion coach.  This recipe comes from a winner, so try it!​ 

My brother, Todd, is the King of Deviled Eggs.  He makes really good deviled eggs, so when I launched judesfood.com, I said, “Give me your recipe and I’ll make your eggs famous.”  He laughed and agreed.  Unsurprisingly, there was no recipe, only a collection of ingredients.  I don’t use a recipe for deviled eggs either, so I understood his method.  It’s  a little of this and a little of that until the mixture looks and tastes right.  For the website, though, “this and that” wouldn’t suffice, so I experimented with a batch using actual measurements, and then Todd followed the recipe and tweaked ingredients and amounts, and we traded emails back and forth until the end result was a tasty treat he was proud of.  That is the story of Todd’s Deviled Eggs.

Ingredients ​- makes 12 bites.  Scale up for bigger batches.

6 large eggs, hard boiled and peeled  (see my method if eggs challenge you)
3 ½ Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 shakes Tabasco
¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground (or to taste)
Pinch of dry mustard (one-eighth teaspoon)
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon creamy horseradish sauce
Sprinkles of sweet or smoked paprika – your choice

Slice the boiled, peeled eggs in half long ways, and separate the yolks from the whites.

Put the yolks in a bowl, and with a fork, mash them very finely.  Or, grate the yolks through a fine mesh strainer.  This is what I do and it makes the yolks very light and fluffy.

Gently fold in the rest of the ingredients (except for the paprika - that's a garnish).  Combine evenly, but try not to pack down the mixture.  Taste and adjust as you go.

It’s time to fill the egg whites.  The yolk mixture is creamy and pipes well, if you’re a piper.  I prefer a more rustic approach and use a small spoon to fill the egg whites.  When the eggs are filled, sprinkle lightly with paprika (sweet or smoked – your choice).  For best flavor, chill for at least one hour before serving.

Note:  Todd likes a lot of black pepper in his deviled eggs.  I love his deviled eggs, but you might want less or more black pepper. Taste as you go!  Make it your own!  Our recipe is a great suggestion, but never be afraid to twist or tweak to your own liking.

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​April 26, 2016