Buttery lemon stuffed eggs
I do love a good stuffed egg. They are always stuffed eggs, never deviled eggs in my family. I do, however, like them simple. I push the boat out a little with my fabulous Pimento Cheese Stuffed Eggs, but I really want the primary flavor to be egg. Highlighted by fresh herbs, a little mustard, but never masking rich, lovely, creamy egg yolk. I have recently seen a slew of recipe pages offering 50 deviled egg recipes, everything from Buffalo wing to pulled pork to Korean barbecue. Not for me.
This recipe uses softened butter, which highlights the creamy taste and texture of egg yolks. I like to beat this with an electric mixer rather than smashing them with a fork so, with a little touch of mayonnaise, you really get a smooth, velvety filling. A little tang from lemon zest and mustard and mystery from a touch of celery salt all highlight the egg without masking its flavor.
Buttery lemon stuffed eggs
Makes 24 stuffed eggs
12 large eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
Salt to taste
1. Place the eggs in a large pan and cover with water by about an inch. Place over high heat and when the water comes to a boil, cook the eggs for 7 minutes. Fill a bowl with ice and cold water and set in the sink. When the 7 minutes are up, remove the eggs with a slotted spoon to the ice water. Leave to cool for 45 minutes.
2. When the eggs are cooled, roll them on the counter to crack the shells all over and peel. Rinse with cool water to remove any stray shell pieces and pat dry.
3. Cut the eggs in half (wipe your knife on a paper towel before each egg so yolk doesn’t get on the white) and gently scoop the yolks into the bowl of an electric mixer. Place the empty whites on a tray or stuffed egg plate. Add the softened butter and mayonnaise to the yolks and beat until everything is broken up and rough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the dill, lemon zest, mustard, and celery salt and beat until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently. Add salt to taste.
4. Fill the center indentations of the whites with the filling. Cover and refrigerate the eggs. To avoid plastic wrap touching your beautifully filled eggs, store these in a 9 x 13 storage container with a snap on top or a deep baking dish covered with plastic or foil. These are best made the day you are serving, but can be made a day before and kept covered in the fridge.
