not your mother's deviled egg recipe

When I was a kid, I remember my mother had this gaudy platter with oval indentations she used specifically for serving her deviled eggs? I have to say, when I was young, I thought the whole deviled egg thing was a bit tacky, especially that platter. It seemed like an awful lot a calories to consume before starting a meal. And taking them on a picnic? As soon as that plastic container was opened, we'd all kind of laugh and snicker and look around to see who was guilty. But I also must admit, my mother's deviled eggs were pretty damn delicious.T

Then for a long time, deviled eggs were uncool. Recently though, they've became cool again. Funny how food does that! And suddenly I'm reading about deviled eggs everywhere,- food magazines, newspapers and on restaurant menus. And I find myself ordering them because I'm loving how devilish chefs and writers are becoming with their variations on a theme these days.

Years ago, I wrote a series of cookbooks called Seasonal Celebrations for Williams Sonoma. In the Spring volume, in celebration of Easter, the editor asked me to include a recipe for deviled eggs. I remember thinking how embarrassing. What if someone I worked with at Chez Panisse sees that recipe? Deviled eggs weren't exactly in my repertoire then but I said yes and included a recipe in the book. I distinctly remember tasting the deviled egg recipe I tested for the book and was so pleasantly surprised. They were comforting, nostalgic and hey, they tasted really good. I include that recipe here.

SPICY DEVILED EGGS

6 large eggs
2 tablespoons homemade or prepared mayonnaise
2 tablespoons non-fat yogurt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 green onions, finely diced
1/4 small red bell pepper, roasted, 1/4" dice
1 very small pinch saffron threads
2 teaspoons boiling water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions as a garnish

With a pin or a tack, puncture a hole in the round end of the egg. This releases pressure inside of the egg, so the shell won't crack. Fill a large saucepan 3/4ths full of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low so it is barely simmering. Add the eggs and boil 10 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water and plunge into a bowl of ice water. Let the eggs cool for 10 minutes. One by one, remove the eggs from the water and crack them slightly. Place them back in the bowl of ice water. (This will help facilitate peeling them.

In the meantime, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, paprika, green onions and red pepper. Place the saffron in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over the saffron threads to moisten them. Add the saffron and water to the mayonnaise mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Peel the eggs and cut each egg in half from top to bottom. Place the yolks in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add the yolks to the mayonnaise mixture and stir to combine. Reserve the whites. Spoon the yolk mixture into the cavities of the egg white distributing evenly. Sprinkle with green onions.

Serves 6