Country Caviar

Let's Cook

1. Step 1.

   Gently place 18 large eggs (preferably 1 week old) in a saucepot and cover them with an inch of hot tap water. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil.

2. Step 2.

   Right when the water boils, turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and remove it from the burner. Leave the pot covered for exactly 9 minutes.

3. Step 3.

   When the timer goes off, immediately pour out the hot water and run cold water over the eggs until you are able to handle them comfortably. Peel the eggs, rinsing any remaining shell off gently with cool water.

4. Step 4.

   Carefully, using a spoon or clean fingers, remove the yolks from the halved eggs and put them in a medium bowl. Rinse off any remaining yolk from the egg whites. Place the whites on a deviled egg plate or platter, setting any broken ones aside.

5. Step 5.

   Place the yolks into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until no clumps remain. (Or you can push the yolks through the back of a sieve into a bowl.) Add ¾ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon Dijon or creole mustard, 2 teaspoons pickle juice or white vinegar, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne. Pulse until combined, adding a bit more mayonnaise if the filling is too dry.

6. Step 6.

   Taste the filling and add ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt—deviled egg filling salts easily, and you need to season gradually. Pulse and taste again, adding another small pinch of salt if needed.

7. Step 7.

   Scrape the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe the filling into each egg white. (Alternatively, you can use a ziplock bag: squeeze the filling to one side, cut off one corner of the bag, and proceed to fill the eggs.) Garnish the eggs with a dusting of smoked paprika. Eat all of the ones that broke. I also like to add a sprinkling of sugar over the assembled eggs and then brûlée them with a blowtorch.