Dijon Tarragon Devilled Eggs

With Easter on the way and Spring finally showing it's sunny face, I thought I'd come up with something the incorporates both....or at least gives off the vibe.
A simple Devilled egg is delicious and a bit retro but you can dress them up and make them a little more current.  While this egg still has some simplicity, it's got a bit of zip and some bright flavours.

Dijon Tarragon Devilled Eggs

Makes 12 

6 Eggs, hard boiled and chilled down
3-4 tbsp good Mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp capers, finely chopped
1 tsp dried Tarragon or 1 1/2 tsp fresh chopped
Salt & Pepper
Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

Halve each egg gently and put the yolks in a bowl.  Mash the yolks and add in the Mayonnaise, Dijon, Capers and Tarragon.  Gently mix and and season to taste with Salt & Pepper.
With a spoon or a piping bag, fill the egg whites with the yolk.  Sprinkle with a little fresh Parsley.

Egg on Tomato Avocado and Basil

If you want simple, fresh and delicious, this is for you.  I have a wee addiction to this ridiculously easy recipe.  I had an abundance of fresh organic tomatoes and Basil from the Farmers Market and a big beautiful Haas Avocado.  The first day I made this and tossed it on a piece of toasted Rye bread....the next day I left the bread out.  Equally amazing.  This is addictive, I warn you.  Breakfast, lunch or a light dinner, I can see this making an appearance on my table as often as I can get the freshest ingredients.
For the egg, either poach it or use a small amount of olive oil instead of butter to cook it.  Butter will make it feel to heavy.  Get the freshest tomatoes and basil possible and all you'll need is a smattering of salt and pepper to finish this off.
p.s. I took the photo with my phone so I apologize if it's a bit grainy. 

Egg on Tomato Avocado and Basil

Serves 1

1 tsp olive oil
1 Egg
3 slices of ripe Tomato
1-2 large whole Basil Leaves
1/4 Haas Avocado, sliced
Salt and Pepper
Grilled or Toasted Bread (optional)

Cook the egg by either poaching or frying and seasoning lightly.  Meanwhile, layer the sliced tomato, then the basil and finally the avocado.  Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and top with the egg.  Alternatively, put all the ingredients on a piece of grilled or toasted bread.

Naturally Dyed Hard Boiled Eggs

So this was an experiment and it turned out pretty well....Naturally dyed hard-boiled eggs.  I figured with Easter around the corner, why not?!  I used 1 beet to get this intense hue and I plan on experimenting with more...perhaps turmeric next time for a mustard yellow!  These are eggs you can feel good about eating because you're not using any artificial food colourings.  They tend to freak me out a bit.  This is safe and quite frankly didn't really take on any flavour from the beet, for those that don't dig the beet. 

I tried 3 different ways but I'm only sharing 2 because the 3rd, which was just a straight up hard-boiled egg in the shell came out a funny brown.  These were much prettier.  Now, can you imagine these beauties made into Deviled Eggs?  I'm on a roll! Perfect for Easter!!

 

You'll notice the darker egg....that's the hard boiled egg that I soaked without the shell in the liquid overnight and the the other half still has it's gorgeous sunny centre.  The egg with the crackle effect was left in the shell but I cracked it all over and soaked overnight as well.  I then peeled it to find this beautiful effect covering it!

Then I ate it.  A little sea salt and I had myself a high protein, low calorie snack....yes, I'm still doing the health challenge.  Whateves....I wasn't about to waste it.  Somebody had to eat it!

Naturally Dyed Hard Boiled Eggs

6 Eggs, hard-boiled
1 Beet, peeled and cut into quarters
Water

Put the beet into a sauce pan and cover with about 2 cups of water.  Bring it to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes.  Set it aside and let it cool off.
Once the "beet water" is cool pour it into a glass dish with a fitted lid (wear and apron to prevent any splatters - it will stain).  Ease the eggs in, with the shell "cracked" or without the shell.  They can go in together if need be.  Let them saturate overnight in the fridge.  Voila!  Fancy Schmancy!

Poached Egg over Asparagus

Simple.  Delicious.  Easy.  That about sums this up.  I crave this frequently and I make it when I crave it - it's light and healthy.  This makes a fantastic breakfast, a nice lunch or a light supper by piling it on top of a beautifully toasted piece of french or sour dough bread that's been drizzled with a great olive oil.  Yum! 
This is a match made in heaven.......
p.s. if you don't know how to poach an egg, I'll give you my basic run down - it takes a little practice.  You can also fry an egg, if that's how you roll and and you'll still get a super tasty dish. 

Num Num....

...and the beautiful sunny yolk...

Poached Egg over Asparagus

Serves 1

1 Egg
4-5 Asparagus Spears, steamed until just tender crisp and kept warm
1 tsp olive oil or butter
Salt & Pepper
Freshly grated
Parmesan Cheese

Fill a small saucepan with about an 1 1/2 inches of water and add 1-2 tsp of white vinegar (this keeps the egg whites from breaking up and spreading).  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Crack an egg into a small dish and slip it gently into the simmering water for 3-5 minutes, depending on how you like your egg done (4 minutes usually works for me).  Check after 3 minutes by gently touching the egg to see if it's done to your liking.
Drizzle the warm steamed asparagus with either the olive oil or butter and season with a little salt and pepper.  Remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon and place on top of the asaparagus.  Season the egg lightly with salt and pepper and grate some parmesan cheese over top.

Note: You can make poached eggs ahead of time.  Once the egg is done, remove it and place it into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.  This can be done quite a few hours in advance and kept in the fridge.  To re-heat, place the egg back into simmering water for about 45 seconds to heat it up again without cooking it any further.

Egg in a Tomato Cup

I say Egg because I made only one.  It was for me and it was goooood.  I've been trying to eat a little healthier after all the indulging over the holidays.  To eat healthy doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor.  I will make this again, for breakfast, lunch and maybe a light dinner, with 2 eggs and perhaps a salad.  My 5 year old, who is a tomato freak and loves all eggs, was drooling while I ate this.  Too bad I only made one!
I'm sure you could use any cheese you like, but I just happened to have goat cheese and fresh basil.  A match made in delicous heaven.  When baking, keep an eye on the eggs.  I pulled my egg out twice to check it.  I like a solid white and a semi soft yolk.  I used 375F for about 25 minutes but I'm sure you could bump up the temp to 400F for less time.
P.S. Happy 2012!!!

Egg in a Tomato Cup

Serves 1

1 Egg

1 Tomato

1 tbsp soft goat cheese

Fresh Basil (1/4 tsp dried will do in a pinch)

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375F (or 400F - whatever your preference).  Slice the top of the tomato and scoop out all of the seeds.  Place the tomato in a lightly greased muffin tin, if it doesn't fit, use a ramakin.  Season the tomato with a little salt and pepper and place fresh basil chiffonade (amount up to you) and half of the goat cheese in the bottom of the tomato.  Crack the egg carefully into the tomato.  Season the top with a little salt and pepper.  Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, pulling the tomato out 5 minutes before it's done to sprinkle the rest of the goat cheese on top.  Put the tomato back in for the last 5 minutes to soften the cheese.