I am from the south. I am. Ask me in person, and I imagine my (understated) drawl will clue you in to that fact.
And yet, up until a couple of weeks ago, I had never eaten a deviled egg.
Ever.
Yolks frighten me. I’ll eat a hard boiled egg – if I remove the yellow. I’ll eat cooked eggs – if scrambled. A sunny side up or over easy or any other egg where the yellow and white are distinct? I shall not consume it.
I don’t know why. I don’t. It’s a quandary.
I am an enigma.
But, in mid-August we got away for the weekend to Roanoke, and at Brandi’s recommendation, we booked a table at the recently opened River and Rail Restaurant on Crystal Spring Avenue. Quaint, hip, and very relaxed, the River and Rail is a gem in this small city, and we are lucky to have Chef Aaron Deal at our disposal. Deal has garnered wide acclaim for his inventive approach to cooking, including being named a “Best New Chef Under 30″ by Chicago Social magazine, and nominated a semi-finalist in the Rising Star category of the James Beard Awards in 2009. Deal was also named one of Restaurant-Hospitality magazine’s “12 to watch in 2012.”
Cute, too. He came out to our table to say hello, so I can attest to that. Definitely cute.
One of the items on the menu was Deviled Farm Eggs. Brandi and Nick were pretty certain this was something we needed to try, but at $2 per egg, we were all curious as to HOW good a $2 egg should be. It’s an egg, after all.
A few moments later, we got our answer.
It’s worth every penny.
Now, Chef Deal assured me we would have the recipe, and even tweeted back and forth with me a few times. But the recipe? I am still waiting for it. I did find a site online that supposedly offered his recipe, and man, was I ever excited. So, one afternoon I boiled the eggs, made the pickled onions, peeled, halved, beat, piped. I knew the recipe seemed off, and yet, I did not deviate. Perhaps everything would work out in the end.
It did not.
2 teaspoons of kosher salt in a dozen eggs is enough to kill a chicken. I knew this. If you google and find that recipe – keep on moving.
However, based on that fail, I took what I knew and went from there. Perhaps it isn’t Chef Deal’s exact recipe, but it is incredibly delicious and tastes very much the same! Smooth and whipped, a little spicy, and full of flavors not often found in your standard deviled eggs. No paprika, not too mayonnaise-y. Just full on good eating. I made a batch for my in-laws, and got lots of applause. Give them a try and let me know what you think!
Ingredients
- 12 eggs, hard cooked
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha Chili Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Pickled Onions (See Recipe Below)
- small pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Mustard Powder
- 2 tablspoons Country Ham, grated
Instructions
- Next cut each egg in half and remove the yolk, placing yolks in a mixer bowl. Beat yolks until creamy. Add all remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly, about 5 minutes. Pipe into each egg.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
To make your own Pickled Onions: Combine 1 red onion (very small dice), 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Allow to sit at least 30 minutes before using. Strain to serve. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
As for the rest of the meal at The River and Rail – it was superb. The pork belly was perfection, and don’t even get me started on the hanger steak. For dessert – we sampled a few! Favorites of the group had to be the Blueberry Hand Pies and the Banana Pudding. These you really have to try to understand! The Banana Pudding was more of a crème brulee, topped with cookie crumbs and a coconut jalapeno sorbet. Sweet Lord, it was incredible!
If you are ever in Roanoke for the day or evening (or you make a special weekend of it, like we did), definitely hit up the River and Rail. You won’t be sorry!
The River and Rail
2201 Crystal Spring Ave. SW
Roanoke, VA 24014-2483
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
These look great! I tend to avoid deviled eggs because of the mayo – but I’ll have to try these! One question for this non-cook: how do you grate country ham?
Vanessa – it’s not hard – just grate or zest it. I actually used a Microplane zester, but you can use a cheese grater if you want. Very simple.
I don’t like cooked whites…. the rubbery texture drives me nuts. I will eat deviled eggs but I go as light on the mayo as possible. I use sweet cube pickle (by Mt Olive) and some extra pickle juice so I don’t have to use as much mayo.
But I have a couple family members who would love this recipe. Might have to try it for tailgating season!
They say that a fear of eggs is called ovaphobia, I don’t think my traditional aversion to egg yolks is that extreme, it is more of an aesthetic/texture thing.
I used to have the same repulsion to egg yolks you do, although to a lesser extent. I still think sunny side eggs are nasty (except when mixed into a steaming bowl of dolsot bibimbap). I usually only eat egg yolks that are fully cooked, such as scrambled eggs or hard boiled eggs (but the yolk is usually a bit dry to me so I don’t eat them often) but I have always loved deviled eggs. Maybe it’s because the yolk is usually mixed with a little bit of mayo and mustard which takes away that dry mouth feel that regular cooked egg yolks have.
At any rate, I think this recipe has tapped into my deviled egg addiction w/ a vengeance.
I see a plate of deviled eggs anywhere and I’m all over them. I love trying new twists on them… pickled onions just sealed the deal. I’m making these asap!
These look absolutely divine. I can’t wait to try them!