Technicolor Deviled Eggs

It’s been a year where I’ve had to dig to find the joy that I’m now realizing I took for granted daily in a pre-COVID universe.  But when I have the opportunity to be freely near people again, I swear, promise and vow to never, ever forget the time I’ve spent alone, particularly those highlights in the kitchen. To celebrate this upcoming Easter, I wanted to literalize that concept and create a dish to encapsulate the moment we’ve all been living in.

These vibrant, beet-pickled deviled eggs perk up the traditional rendition by dying their whites a shocking purple hue and transforming the nearly flavorless hardboiled, egg whites into a kicky, pickled base for the extra savory center.  The end result would make Douglas Sirk proud, and they’re what I’ll be making until I have an event to get dressed up for myself.

Recipe by: Kourtney Paranteau

Process

As your eggs are boiling, bring sugar, ½ cup vinegar, ½ cup water and white pepper to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped beets and stir. Simmer over low heat for twenty minutes until the beets are soft and have thoroughly bled into the liquid. Strain beet chunks with a slotted spoon and discard.  

In a large mason jar, slip whole eggs into the mouth, pour beet liquid over them, top off with remaining vinegar and seal the lid. Refrigerate and pickle for three days and up to one week (any longer could make the beet coloring seep into the yolk). In the meantime, meditate on which of your favorite plates will look the most striking with these magenta-toned baubles resting on them.  

When you’re ready to eat your eggs, drain the liquid and, with a clean, sharp knife, slice each egg in half. In between eggs, wipe your knife to clean off beet residue and remnants of clinging yolks. Toss each yolk into a medium sized bowl and break up into tiny pebble-like pieces with the back of a fork and place each egg white (now purple) on a paper towel. Mix in mayonnaise, celery, worcestershire sauce, pepper, and Jacobsen x Diaspora Co. Turmeric Popcorn Seasoning until the filling becomes a cohesive heap.  If the mixture appears stiff and ungiving, add mayonnaise one small dollop at a time until the consistency feels like a thick frosting. Run the mixture through a ricer and place it into a pastry bag (if you don’t have one, use a plastic snack bag and cut off the tip of one of the bag’s lower corners). Carefully, but with force, pipe the yolks back into the centers of the egg white (now dyed violet). Garnish each egg yolk with a pinch of chives, making sure to scatter evenly and not over-garnish one area.  

Plate eggs on your desired (and well planned) plate and serve.