This came from a friend:
-----Original Message-----
As a follow up to our conversation last week on the best ways to hard boil
an egg, I pass on the following article from today's New York Times.
The first part is accomplished easily enough by following the master recipe;
I've found that nine minutes in hot water yields the perfect consistency for
large to extra-large eggs, but if you prefer your yolks on the softer or
firmer side, adjust the timing as needed. If you're going to simmer the eggs
in tomato sauce, hard-boil them for only seven and a half minutes, because
they'll continue to cook in the sauce. To minimize the dreaded green color,
which comes from not cooling the egg quickly enough, dunk the eggs in an ice
bath immediately after cooking -- and don't skimp on the ice..
There are countless 'tricks' to peeling hard-boiled eggs: pricking the shell
with a pin before cooking, rolling on a counter to crack every bit of shell,
doing a prayer dance. The key, though, is that ice-water bath, followed by
cracking them against the countertop and starting to peel from the wider
end, where there is usually an air pocket. To avoid prolonged peeling
sessions, I typically cook a big batch at once, peel only what I need to use
immediately and store the remainder in the fridge. They'll keep in their
shells for a week, which means they're ready when you need them, be it for
dyeing, eating or anything else.
Master Hard-Boiled-Egg Recipe
Choose a pot that will comfortably hold all the eggs you plan to cook. Add
the eggs, cover with cold water by 2 inches and put the pot over medium
heat. Bring to a gentle boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot; the
average large to extra-large egg will be ready in 9 minutes. Transfer the
eggs to a large ice bath for about a minute; crack, peel and eat, or
refrigerate for up to a week.
PICKLED
Classic Pickled Eggs
Put 6 hard-boiled eggs in a lidded glass container. In a saucepan, combine
1½ 'cup's cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons each black peppercorns, mustard seeds
and allspice berries, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1½ 'cup's
water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour over the eggs; let sit until cool. Cover
and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
Beet-Pickled Eggs
Omit the mustard seeds and allspice. Add 1 medium grated beet and 2
tablespoons prepared horseradish to the pot.
Soy-Pickled Eggs
Omit the peppercorns, mustard seeds and allspice. Add ¼ 'cup' soy sauce and
3 pieces star anise to the pot, and reduce the salt to 1 teaspoon.
DEVILED
Classic Deviled Eggs
Halve the eggs lengthwise and carefully scoop the yolks into a bowl. Mash
with mayonnaise, Dijon and a pinch of cayenne. Spoon the mixture back into
the egg whites, or pipe it in with a pastry bag. Garnish: Paprika or chopped
parsley.
Bacon and Deviled Eggs
Cook a few slices of bacon until crisp. Add some of the rendered fat to the
yolk mixture instead of the mayonnaise, and crumble the cooked bacon over
the top.
Rustic Deviled Eggs
Instead of mashing the yolks, roughly chop them. Substitute olive oil for
the mayonnaise, vinegar for the Dijon and chopped capers, shallots and
parsley for the cayenne. Garnish: Parsley.
SIMMERED IN TOMATO SAUCE
Curried Tomato Sauce
Put 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 'cup' chopped
scallions, and cook until soft. Stir in 2 tablespoons curry powder; add 2
'cup's chopped canned tomatoes and 1 'cup' coconut milk; simmer until the
sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add hard-boiled eggs, and heat for 5
minutes. Serve over rice. Garnish: Cilantro.
Classic Tomato Sauce
Substitute onion for scallions. Omit the curry powder and coconut milk, and
increase the tomatoes to 3 'cup's (and include their juices). Serve with
crusty bread. Garnish: Parmesan.
Smoky Tomato Sauce
Substitute red onion for the scallions, and 1 tablespoon (or more) chopped
chipotle in adobo for the curry powder. Omit the coconut milk, and increase
the tomatoes to 3 'cup's (and include their juices). Serve with tortillas.
Garnish: Queso fresco.
EGG SALAD
Curried Egg Salad
Substitute curry powder for pickles, cilantro for dill and lime juice for
lemon. Garnish: A sprinkle of curry.
Egg Salad With Pickles and Dill
Chop hard-boiled eggs, and toss them with chopped gherkins or dill pickles,
chopped red onion, mayonnaise, lemon juice and chopped dill. Garnish: Dill.
Waldorf Egg Salad
Substitute chopped walnuts for pickles, chopped Granny Smith apple for red
onion and chopped celery for dill. Garnish: Celery leaves.
Note: Salt and pepper assumed when needed..
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