My wonderful hens have been quite busy egg layers lately. So, it's no wonder I've especially been inspired to experiment with some fun new egg recipes. This weekend I decided to throw a little dinner party starring eggs and beer, which I think is a very tasty combination. I made two kinds of pickled eggs—a sweet, bright purple version made with beets and a spicier version made with chiles and bell pepper. I must admit that up until trying some fantastic ones at a local bar in the last few years, I had a slight aversion to pickled eggs. They always seemed weird and quite unappetizing to me. But I'll be the first to say I was totally wrong. If you like eggs and you like pickles, then chances are you'll like pickled eggs. They are actually very delicious—especially with beer! I served mine along with my friend Abby's freshly baked bread and dill butter. They were a hit! In addition, I made my
special version of Scotch eggs, which are hard-boiled eggs encased in a layer of pork sausage then breaded and baked, and also prepared some Russian-style deviled eggs, made with lots of mustard and dill. Both of these other egg dishes were also very scrumptious. This slightly unusual party idea actually turned out to be super fun! Here are my egg recipes, just in time for Easter. Enjoy!
Pickled Eggs and Beets
Both these sweet pickled eggs and the spicy ones taste delicious on bread with some dill butter. To make dill butter, use a fork to combine about 6 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon salt with about 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill. Hot sauce also makes a great accompaniment!
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Wrap about 1 pound of small to medium beets in foil. Place on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel the beets and cut them into small wedges.
2. In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine 2 cups cider vinegar, 1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup water, 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, 4 whole allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 onion (cut into wedges), the beets, and 4 cloves garlic (smashed). Cover and let come to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, hard boil about 8 eggs. Peel the eggs and place them into two 1-quart jars (4 eggs in each jar). When the vinegar mixture has cooled to room temperature, pour it into the jars to cover the eggs, dispersing the beets, onion, a garlic evenly between the two jars. Seal the jars and refrigerate at least 1 day before serving.
Spicy Pickled Eggs
These eggs taste especially good with good bottle of lager beer.
1. In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, 2 bay leaves, 4 Thai chiles, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 2 whole allspice, 1/4 teaspoon celery seed, 1 teaspoon peppercorns, and 1 teaspoon mustard seed. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat; cool about 30 minutes, then add 1 onion (sliced), 1 green bell pepper (sliced), 1 jalapeno (halved), and 2 cloves of garlic (smashed). Allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, hard boil about 8 eggs. Peel the eggs and place them in two 1-quart jars (4 eggs in each jar). When the vinegar mixture has cooled to room temperature pour it over the eggs in the jars, dispersing the onion, bell pepper, jalepeno, garlic, and bay leaves evenly between the two jars. Seal the jars and refrigerate at least 1 day before serving.
Annie's Scotch Eggs
Serve these eggs with Dijon mustard and your favorite hot sauce.
1. Hard boil 8 to 10 eggs. Chill thoroughly and peel.
2. Meanwhile, into a food processor, place about 4 cups of torn fresh baguette, 2 handfuls
fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Process until green bread crumbs are formed. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1/4 cup dijon mustard. Cover and chill.
3. In a medium bowl, combine 1 pound ground pork (I like pork shoulder for this), 1 egg, 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs (purchased bread crumbs work well here), 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sage, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspon oregano, 1 big pinch of crushed red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Using a small handful of the pork mixture for each egg, carefully encapsulate the peeled hard-boiled eggs in a layer of pork, slowly working the meat around each egg to cover. Brush the meat-covered eggs with the mayonnaise-mustard mixture. Carefully roll each egg in the green bread crumbs. Arrange the eggs, pointy side up, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Mustard-Dill Deviled Eggs
1. Hard boil 6 eggs. Cool and peel. Cut each egg in half. Remove each yolk to a small bowl. Place the egg halves on a platter.
2. In the small bowl, use a fork to combine the egg yolks with 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons Dutch mustard, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons chopped dill pickle, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, and 1 pinch each of salt and black pepper. Place the mixture into a small resealable plastic bag. Snip of a little of one corner of the bag and pipe the mixture into each egg half. Sprinkle with a little sweet paprika. Chill until ready to serve.
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