Author: Rupali Zurale

Success of most parties depends to a very large extent on the food served. Starters or hors d’ oeuvre as they are called in French, are responsible for setting up the mood of the party. These bite sized snacks or appetisers kick start any party and are good accompaniments to the drinks. But these days,  everyone is so calorie conscious that not all the side dishes can be fried. At least a few of them have to be healthy so that the guests can relish them without any guilt. One of such starters that I serve often at my parties is made from eggs.  However, just to serve boiled eggs is pretty mundane. So why not make it healthy and fun at the same time  and that too without too much of an effort? The answer is devilled eggs. And even the keto dieters are happy!

Devilled eggs, simply put, are hard boiled eggs that have been shelled, cut into half length wise and filled with a stuffing made of egg yolks and other ingredients. They are often served as a cold appetiser. They are called by different names in different countries, for example, in France they are called Ouefs Mimosa, in the US they are called deviled eggs whereas in UK they are called devilled eggs. All through Europe as well, they are pretty popular. In Hungary they are called öltött tojás meaning stuffed egg  or kaszinótojás meaning casino egg ; in Romania, ouă umplute  and so on and so forth. So even if origin of this stuffed eggs dish can be traced back to ancient Rome, still all around the world, most countries have their version of it. Somewhere in 1786, Great Britain could be credited with the naming the dish Deviled eggs as the eggs were spiced up.  By 1800, deviling became a verb used to describe the process of making food very spicy.

The method of making them is more or less the same. What differs is the filling. The key is to perfectly boil the eggs  so that the egg yolk is at the centre and the egg can be shelled perfectly. The eggs are then cut into halves and the yolks are removed and mashed. They can be seasoned with a variety of ingredients, most common of which is mayonnaise and mustard. One could also use, sour cream, cream, salsa, varieties of chutneys, etc along with spices, herbs, horseradish. My version of devilled eggs uses cream cheese and that adds that extra oomph to the eggs. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1. Eggs                                                     – 10
2. Cream Cheese                                – 80 g
3. Sour cream                                       – 2 tbsp
4. Mixed herbs like oregano,         – 2 tsp
   rosemary, thyme, marjoram
5. Pepper powder                               – 1 tsp
6. Red Chilli Flakes                             – 2-3 tsp
7. Tabasco Sauce                                – to taste
8. Chopped fresh parsley                – 1 tbsp
9. Salt                                                        – to taste

Method

1. Hard boil the eggs. Let them cool by putting them in cold water. Remove the shell and cut the eggs into halves length wise.
2. To make the stuffing, remove the yolks and mash them up completely.
3. Add cream cheese, sour cream, herbs, pepper powder, chilli flakes, tabasco, chopped parsley and salt and beat till smooth either with a wire whisk or hand mixer. Adjust salt and chilli flakes to taste. Adjust the consistency with more sour cream if required, till you get pipeable consistency.
4. Fit a big star nozzle to a disposable piping bag. Fill up the bag with the stuffing.
5. Arrange the egg whites in the serving dish with the hollow side up. Pipe big stars of the stuffing  into the egg whites. Serve cold.

Not only are these devilled eggs absolutely delicious but they are very healthy too. The piped stuffing makes them look gorgeous. So go ahead and plan a party and do not forget to make these scrumptious devilled eggs as one of the hors d’ oeuvres.