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Chive and Caper Deviled Eggs

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I am a bad Southerner.

Most southern foods, I do not like.  This includes fried okra, green bean casserole with those crispy onion things on top, sweet potato casserole, honey-baked ham… and deviled eggs.

However, a wedding shower on Easter weekend with Southern-themed food all but requires deviled eggs be served.  I had to suck it up and learn (quickly) how to do deviled eggs right.

Round 1 was a spicy version that I sort of liked.  More proof that if you make anything spicy, I’ll eat it.

The family shot it down.  Mom reminded me that not everyone likes to have their mouth on fire, and that most people like a traditional “like your momma made it” deviled egg.

Traditional isn’t something I do well, but I did compromise.  I ditched the heat, opting for a caper and chive version.  That with some mustard and plenty of mayo made for a flavorful yellow filling.  A little lemon zest added a brightness that shouldn’t be skipped.

These eggs were the first thing to go at the shower!  Even with a double batch of the recipe, they were gone in an hour.

Who knew 48 deviled eggs could be eaten so fast?!

I learned that the most challenging part about deviled eggs is the hard-boiling and peeling of the eggs.  After couple of “oops” moments, I’ve found the perfect technique.  If you follow the recipe below, I promise you will have easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs, free of that icky grey color.

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Chive and Caper Deviled Eggs

  • 1 dozen hard-boiled eggs
  • 2 T dijon mustard
  • 1/4 C + 2 T mayonnaise
  • 3/4 tsp dry mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 T minced fresh chives, plus additional for topping
  • 3 T capers
  • Zest of 1/2 large lemon
  • Smoked paprika, for topping

Place the eggs in a large pot and add just enough cold water to cover.  Salt water and bring to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, allow to cook for 30 seconds.  Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes. 

Remove the eggs from the pan and place in a bowl of ice water until cooled (5-10 mins).  Roll each egg on the counter, applying moderate pressure in order to crack.  Carefully peel the eggs, getting just under the first thin layer of membrane.  Rinse as necessary to remove any remaining shell bits.

Cut the eggs in half length-wise. Remove the yolks and place in a medium bowl, mashing with a fork until yolks are as smooth as possible.  Set the whites aside.

***At this point, I placed the whites in baggies with paper towels to be assembled the next day.  Everything is fine refrigerated overnight.***

When you are ready to assemble eggs, add the remaining ingredients to the yolks.  Using a fork, mash together until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. 

Place yolk mixture in a plastic baggie.  Cut the tip off of the baggie to pipe into whites (you can also just spoon it in).  Pipe or spoon 1 heaping teaspoonful of the yolk mixture into the cavity of each egg-white half, mounding it slightly.  Arrange the filled eggs on a plate and sprinkle with paprika and remaining minced chives.

Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

Serves 20-30.  (Can easily be doubled.)

***

I did try one… and they weren’t bad for deviled eggs.  I do love mac and cheese… that one is coming tomorrow! 😉

Is there a “traditional” food from your region/culture that you don’t care for?

What one dish did/would you HAVE to have at your wedding or wedding shower?

Comments

  2. I’m not a huge deviled eggs person either but you made these look delicious! So one thing that will definitely be at our reception dinner is Paneer Makhani. It’s my absolute favorite. And Vishnu picked his favorite chicken dish.

  4. What an enormous number of eggs to cook! And your deviled eggs look amazing. And I think it’s great that you added a new twist to an old recipe and clearly, all those at the function appreciated it to or the old eggs would still be sitting around. Well done, these look great xx

  7. I always hated deviled eggs until I had one made without mayonaise. I just really hate commercial mayo. I can eat a thick homemade aioli, but Miracle Whip makes me gag. One other traditional southern food I just can’t get behind is casseroles in all forms. They always just taste like a pan full of fat and salt to me. I have tried to remake some casseroles with fresher healthier ingredients, but even then it seems like a complete dish before pouring it into a pan and baking. I don’t see the point in mashing all my food together and baking it into a rectangle.

  8. I’m not into those traditional southern foods either. I love sweet potatoes, but not in a casserole! And I think green bean casserole is totally gross. I bet the traditional desserts are pretty good though…
    I actually have 2 hard-boiled eggs in my salad for lunch today. I’m the worst at peeling them! I will try your method of rolling them first and see if it helps (fingers crossed!).

    • You got me on the desserts – I love them all! Except pumpkin pie. Weird, since I love pumpkin.

  9. Eisbein. Absolute;y and utterly bleh.
    Looks like the shower was a huge success! Congrats on conquering that dish!

  11. Laura! I’ve said it before, but you are just so creative! I’d never think to put chives and capers into deviled eggs. Just catching up and saw your catering post- congratulations on another job well done! I’m glad you had a lovely Easter and am looking forward to seeing the rest of your creative recipes from the catering job! 🙂

  12. I LOVE deviled eggs! I am not sure why, but they are one of my favorites, I never make them at home though, what am I going to do, plow through a dozen? I could, and that’s why I don’t! Haha.

    Have you ever tried steaming your eggs? Gina at fitnessista.com mentioned it once and I gave it a go (I am horrible at hard boiling for some reason) you pop them in the steamer basket for 15 minutes and DONE! They always turn out great!

  13. Green bean casserole, ew and I loath okra! Even though I am originally from Northern Virginia, those things seemed to pop up all too often. Love mac and cheese though, can’t wait to see your recipe

    Also deviled eggs are one of those guilty loves, but haven’t eaten one in probably 10 years.

  14. I love deviled eggs…and probably all those other southern foods you hate 🙂 I’ve never tried to make them myself- all that boiling and peeling… this is such a pretty recipe though! Can’t wait to finally give it a try!

  15. Another secret to perfectly peeled eggs to add a splash of vinegar to the water that you boil. For some reason they peel like a charm.

  16. I used to love deviled eggs – not really something I craved, but if they were around, I ate them. I never really had one that was over-the-top awesome or creative, they are just good & mindless to pop in your mouth. Not surprised yours went so fast. 🙂

    What traditional southern food DO I eat anymore? 🙂 Well, I make the vegan versions of just about everything, but not the traditional versions.

  17. I’m a total sucker for anything spicy too – and I put sriracha on basically everything! It’s like a southern girl’s rance dressing (although I like ranch too AND I consider myself to be a southern girl…)

  18. I love southern food – hello grits, cornbread, biscuits and boiled peanuts! Except not a fan of the stuff you listed either. My family likes green bean casserole and I despise making it. I’ve also never really liked fried chicken.

    I also used to not like spicy food! gasp! I know. Now I can’t get enough. The other night bb and I had 5 sources of heat on our dinner plate. I counted because it was just ridiculous.

    At my wedding I would definitely have to have Mario Batali’s Chestnut Crepes with Radicchio and Mushroom Filling . bb says a whiskey sour fountain and good mini crab cake app.

    • I don’t do grits, but love me some polenta. And biscuits. 🙂

      What were the 5 sources of heat?! I want that dinner plate!

      Whiskey sour fountain = brilliant.

  21. Laura, I think these are a winner–chives and capers make everything better, though I suspect your spicy version was delicious too.

  24. I used to love deviled eggs my grandmother made…probably because she was the only one to do it right.

    As for regional food, I too am a southerner, and have to say collards and watermelon are gross.

    I just can’t get into them.

    Does this make me a bad southerner? Maybe but I don’t eat meat either and i am pretty sure I get a couple of black marks for that.

    Your eggs look quite good and what fun it would have been to put a couple of spicy ones in with the regular (probably not fun for the guests though).

Trackbacks

  1. […] « Chive and Caper Deviled Eggs […]

  2. […] these weren’t the first item to go (these deviled eggs flew the coop!), there weren’t any left at the end of the […]

  3. […] liking a food makes me want to try to perfect a version I DO like.  I had to make these Chive & Caper Deviled Eggs for a wedding shower a few years ago.  The party-goers liked them and I even thought they were […]

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