Chef Arlyn Llewellyn loves spicy food.
She's generous with pickled jalapeños on the sandwiches at Function Brewing. You don't have to look that closely to notice that the pith and the seeds are still attached. That's the heat, right there!
The spice in this recipe comes from one ingredient -- cayenne pepper. If you're planning to bring these deviled eggs to a summer pitch-in, consider lessening the amount of cayenne. You can always invite people to sprinkle a little extra on top, if they want the full Llewellyn spice experience.
She suggests assembling your own pickling spice. Make a big batch now and you can use it in various pickle preparations throughout the season:
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken into at least 4 pieces
- 2 bay leaves, broken into smaller pieces
- 8 cloves
- 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2Â tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons allspice berries
- 2Â teaspoons dill seeds
- 1Â teaspoon red pepper flakes
The pickling spice is just one aspect of the mise en place for this recipe. You'll need to hard boil (and then peel) your eggs before you do anything else. While the eggs are cooking, that's when you can grate your beets and slice your onions.
And don't forget, the eggs take time to pickle. The deviling comes one week later, so plan your pitch-ins accordingly!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 tablespoon pickling spice (see recipe or use any store bought blend)
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 onions, finely sliced into half moons
- 3 ounces red beets, grated on the largest holes of a box grater
- 1 dozen peeled, hard boiled eggs
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 garlic cloves, very finely minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons white miso paste
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Chives, thinly sliced (optional garnish)
Instructions
- In a medium saute pan over medium high heat, bring the brine ingredients to a simmer (seat salt, apple cider vinegar, water, pickling spice, sugar, bay leaves, sliced onions and grated beets). Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the peeled hard boiled eggs and garlic into a glass or non-reactive metal container. Pour the simmering brine (beets, onions and all) over the eggs and garlic. Allow it to cool to room temperature, then cover the vessel and refrigerate for one week.
- Then, to prepare the deviled eggs... Cut pickled eggs in half lengthwise and remove the yolk. Place yolks in a medium bowl. Arrange egg white halves on serving platter.
- In medium bowl, use a fork to mash the yolks with miso paste, mayonnaise and cayenne pepper, making sure to completely break up the miso and fully incorporate it. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
- Spoon filling into egg white cups and scatter chives over the platter.
