One corn for fiddliness, and the other for time consumed (it's well worth it, though). Deviled eggs are one of those foods that seem to come into being about the same time as the wheel, first human thought may very well have been about this food stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if this were at all true (though I suspect it is not in the slightest).
Actually, a variation of Deviled Egg's can be found in most cuisines accross the globe, spanning from Arabic and Middle Eastern provinces, right through to Scandinavia and even Asia. All recipes work on the same idea of boiling the eggs, extracting the yolk and prettying it up somehow, and then stuffing it back into the sockets whence it came. One of the earliest recipes I can find for stuffed eggs comes from a medieval cookbook, here is an excerpt from An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the Thirteenth Century (translated by Charles Perry) for Andalusian Stuffed eggs:
Take as many eggs as you like, and boil them whole in hot water; put them in cold water and split them in half with a thread. Take the yolks aside and pound cilantro and put in onion juice, pepper and coriander, and beat all this together with Murri, oil and salt and knead the yolks with this until it forms a dough. Then stuff the whites with this and fasten it together, insert a small stick into each egg, and sprinkle them with pepper, God Willing.
Now, I think this is absolutely precious. After a little bit of research I learned that Murri is sort-of a salty-spicy-nutty-breaddy condiment used to put kick into food, kind of like a curry paste, and in combination with all the other ingredients it bares a striking resemblance to today's Deviled Egg. Speaking of...
Deviled Egg is one variation of what is more commonly known as 'stuffed egg', you can also find it being called 'filled egg', 'curried egg' and in Hungary it's known as 'casino egg'. Here in Australia, 'curried egg' is a very common name for this food-stuff because of the nature of the ingredients used, I also suspect that is bares some resemblance to curry egg sandwiches which are a truck-stop special in these parts. Wherever you go, however, you will find an egg that has mayonnaise and mustard mixed into its boiled yolks and that, in the grand scheme of things, is all that matters.
In my variation, which is the variation that my mother and her mother and even her mother all cook to, I use an Australian product called 'Keen's Traditional Curry Powder'. This company has been around for 150 years, and have been producing this ghetto-fab, and slightly offensive, white-trash of a curry powder following the same recipe from the very start. This particular curry powder has turmeric, coriander seeds, salt, fenugreek, black pepper, chili powder, rice flour, allspice and celery powder; similar to the Murri. I can't find any substitutes overseas, but if you combine 1/2 a teaspoon each of these ingredients, and grind to a fine powder, you should be able to recreate the flavour anywhere in the world. It's nasty, but it's oh so good (please don't rat me out to anyone in the Asian continent). And no, in-case you were wondering, you can't just use any old curry powder, the flavour is just not quite the same (and a little bit weird, actually).
Also, and I know I'm doing a bit of globe trotting here, the mayonnaise that I like to use in this recipe is a Japanese brand called 'Kewpie'. I like it because of the different vinegar flavours, but you can use any Mayonnaise that you like and it really doesn't make a difference (though, I prefer Kewpie and/or whole egg mayonnaise). If you can't get Kewpie, and you really want to add the vinegar flavour, you could add half a teaspoon of rice-wine vinegar to the mayonnaise and mix in before adding to the egg yolks. To be honest, if you can get rice-wine vinegar then you most likely will be able to get Kewpie as well (they normally go hand in hand), and lately Kewpie has exploded across the world as a really popular ingredient in bento and sushi.
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Ingredients.
12 eggs (1 dozen - fresh)
4 tblsp of mayonnaise
2 tblsp of butter or margarine
2 tblsp of Keens Curry Powder or curry powder mix.
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How To Do!
The instructions I am about to give read similarly to the one's given way back in mediaeval Andalusia.
First bring a pot of water to the boil, then gently spoon the eggs in being careful not to splash and scald yourself - I use a pasta server because it cradles the egg well and stops me from dropping the eggs accidentally into the water. Let the eggs cook on a rapid boil for around about ten minutes, you want to yolk to be pretty much cooked through. One way to tell if it's done is when you pull an egg out of the water it should dry up within a few seconds from the heat (I cheat and use an egg-mate).
Once they are done place the eggs in some ice water and let them cool down completely, the benefit of doing this is that the abrupt temperature change seems to make the eggs shrink a little bit in the shells which makes them easier to peel. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel them.
This can be an annoying, frustrating and tedious task because you have to go gently and cautiously, otherwise the delicate eggs will peel and chunk apart. The best way I've found is to crack the shell in a few different places on a hard surface, and then try and peel away the shell and membrane underneath. If the eggs are fresh they should peel without too-many problems, older eggs tend to give a little more grief. As you peel each egg shake them around in the ice water, just to get rid of any left over bits of shell, and place them to one side (in a bowl, so they don't roll away, is best) .
Once all the eggs are peeled and washed, slice them in half lengthways through the centre of the yolk and then gently remove the yolks from their sockets into a separate dry bowl, place the whites to one side.
Next, add the spices and condiments to the egg yolks, and fork through until you have a fluffy mixture at about the consistency of dense mousse. Finally, add about a teaspoon of the mixture to each egg-white socket; don't stuff them in, however, just gently push it in - if you stuff it too densely the egg white will collapse and even if it doesn't it will be too big to put into mouths in one go (which is sort of the point).
These eggs will go fast at parties, so make-sure you put some aside for yourself. If you are planning on serving them for dinner make-sure you are dining with someone you are intimate with, these are eggs and curry powder after-all.
This isn't really a recipe, this is just methods for preparing eggs.
I know that most people already know how to make eggs, but it's so easy and fun and this morning I just wanted a reason to make one of every kind of breakfast egg I know (except toad in a hole, that deliciousness is reserved for bbq breakfast), so I did.
But first, here's some awesome facts about eggs...
Fab egg fact one: double-yolked eggs are produced by younger hens whose egg production cycles are not yet synchronized.
Fab egg fact two: eggs are good for your eyes, because they contain lutein which helps prevents age-related cataracts and muscular degeneration.
Fab egg fact three: when a hen lays an egg, the egg shell is soft. It is contact with the air which makes the eggs harden almost instantly.
Now that we are sufficiently schooled, on with the eggs!
On the top row we have an omelet, a poached egg, and a baked egg.
On the bottom row we have one scrambled egg, one boiled egg, and one fried egg.
I think these are the best variations of breakfast egg you can have.
Instead of giving ingredients and tools I'm just going to do methods for each egg, some are straight forward and some are not.
Omelette is a word of French origin which first appeared during the mid-16th century. According to legend, while traveling through the south of France, Napoleon Bonaparte an his army decided to rest for the night near the town of Bessières. Apparently a local innkeeper prepared an omelette for him, and Nap's was so thrilled by what he had just eaten that he ordered all the eggs in the village to be collected and made into omelettes for his army the next day. Omelettes have many variations with fillings like cheese, mushroom, spinach, onion and more. I like mine with cheese and salt and pepper and they're dead easy to make.
All you do is crack two eggs (per person) in a bowl, whisk them well and make sure there's lots of bubbles in the mix (which will make them light and fluffy). Heat a non-stick pan, add butter enough to coat the pan (and a little drizzle of oil so the butter doesn't burn) and pour in the egg mix. After a minute or so put any fillings you want on half of the omelette and let it cook for half a minute more. Then, take a spatula and flip the side without the ingredients over the side with the ingredients and leave for another minutes or so, then flip the whole thing over so it cooks on the other side for a few minutes further; then put it on a plate. Easy. If you find the egg isn't cooked to your liking then put it back in the pan on a low heat and fry it for a minute on either side, and continue to do so until you're happy with the consistency of the omelette.
Poached eggs are slightly more complex. First of all you need fresh eggs, you need gently simmering water, and you need a tool that you can fish the egg out with that is a big-ish spoon with holes or spaces for the water to drain. You can also put some vinegar in the water, that will stop the egg going everywhere and will make the egg whiter; it will also make the egg taste a little vinegary but that's not such a bad thing if you use a nice vinegar.
There's all this talk of making a vortex out of the water so the egg stays in the middle and perfectly shaped but that's just nonsense to me. Just add three tablespoons of vinegar to five or six cups of water, let it simmer, gently put your eggs in and push it around so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Give it a few minutes until the translucent bit has gone all the white, and a white film has covered the yolk. If you like your yolks like moist chalk then give it about five minutes minutes, if you like really runny yolk take it out at about the two minute mark and let it sit for a few minutes. The egg is so delicate it will cook in it's own residual heat. Salt and cracked pepper, yum.
Baked eggs are a fab way to try something new. You can add things like ligurian olive oil, a dash of cream, tomato sauce, butter, or even nothing; all you need is egg, ramekin, baking dish, warm oven and water.
Here's mine with a dash of cream, and I really mean just a dash - you don't need much. You put the egg in the ramekin, the ramekin in the hot-water bath and then pop it in the oven. You HAVE to put it in the water bath, I don't know the science behind it but it makes the world of difference. How long it takes to bake is really up in the air because different ovens work faster/slower than others, and it also depends on how you like your egg. Give it at-least five minutes in an 180c/350f oven and then check it, and then keep checking every two minutes. Every one minute even...
Scrambled eggs are boys eggs. They aren't delicate, you don't have to worry about piercing the yolk, you just break three eggs whisk them up put them in a pan (with melted butter in) and cook them till they're not runny anymore while pushing them around and mixing them about. Serve with salt and pepper along side fried bacon and mushrooms and you're the world best boyf.
Boiled eggs are quite the art, I must say. An art that I cheat at because for something like six bucks from The General Trader I got this cheaters gadget for cheaters.
It's a red egg that cooks along with the other eggs in the simmering water. You can tell how cooked the real eggs are, because the red plastic egg starts turning purple from the outside in marking how the eggs are cooked. It's really cool and works perfectly. For those of us who don't have this fab tool (if you're a boy just get one so you can add to your impressive breakfast repertoire), four minutes give you a super runny egg, five minutes gives you a reasonably runny egg, six minutes and you're entering chalky yolk stage, any more than that and you'd better want to be using that egg for curried egg sandwiches because that egg is cooked through my friend. Serve the yolky egg with buttery toast soldiers, and the toast is better when it's a bit cold so it doesn't collapse in the egg.
Last but certainly not least, the fried egg. I have to admit something to you all, fried eggs are my favourite, when they're soft yolked and dripping all over a bowl of migoreng noodles with left over dumplings; heaven. The best way to start your day. As for the actual frying you start with a warm and buttered non stick pan as usual, and I would suggest getting a small frying pan just for eggs because it makes the whole process much easier.
There is a bit of a debate about weather the eggs should be flipped, I like mine sunny side over though most restaurants will serve it to you sunny side up; but the choice is yours just make sure you're specific about how you like your eggs done when eating out. To play it safe at home (this ones for you, boyfriends who are being nice in the morning) I would flip it after a few minutes and give it a few moments on the other side, even if the heat is off, just to cook off the rest of the egg-whites; and serve on migoreng and dumplings toast. A tip for frying eggs, don't cook the eggs with the fire of a thousand suns, cook them on medium and be patient; they will taste better if you do.
Alfred Hitchcock was quoted to have said, “I'm frightened of eggs, worse than frightened, they revolt me. That white round thing without any holes have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid? Blood is jolly, red. But egg yolk is yellow, revolting. I've never tasted it."
Oh Alfy, honey, you've never lived!
This divine chocolate cake get's two difficulty corns.
It would have been one difficulty corn, except most people find baking atrociously difficult by association and so I awarded one corn for difficulty and one corn for scary. It seems to me that when most people think 'baking', they also think 'meringue' or 'pavlova' or 'macrons' or other evil/scary/hard/messy/explosive recipes. Honestly though, this cake is about as easy as a cake mix; it's just measuring, mixing, pouring - that's it.
The original recipe comes from Nigella Lawson, and you can find it on her website and she demonstrates how to make it in series two of Nigella Bites (episode: Comfort Food). She calls this cake a 'Chocolate Fudge Cake', however I tend to liken it more to a light mud-cake. It doens't have the overbearing sickly sweetness that fudge has, despite the recipe calling for inordinate amounts of sugar, and I deviate from Nigella's recipe by preparing half the amount of frosting and actually sometimes, and this time, I deviated entirely from the frosting recipe and go for a chocolate ganashe instead. I find the frosting way to invasive and rich but each to their own, the butter cream frosting is very easy to make as well but you will need an electric beater or a friend whom you can bribe to mix while you sieve. Anyway, let them have cake!
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Ingredients.
For the cake:
400g of plain flour
250g of caster sugar
100g light muscovado sugar (or any soft sticky sugar)
50g cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
3 medium eggs
142ml sour cream
1tblsp vanilla extract
175g unsalted butter melted and cooled
125ml corn oil
* In the recipe online, it calls for "1 teaspoon(s) salt for pasta water, to taste". I giggled at that.
Also the recipe calls for bicarb, which is not out of the ordinary but if you leave it out the cake doesn't rise as much and stays lovely and dense and muddy - this is what I did and it works a charm.
For the frosting (I'm going to give the Nigella frosting recipe here but any good chocolate or perhaps berry frosting will be good and there's loads of recipes online):
175g cooking chocolate chips
250g unsalted butter softened
275g Icing sugar sieved
1 tblsp vanilla extract
Tools:
Mixing bowl
Wooden Spoon
Whisk
Fork
Two 20cm cake tins
Measure cup (more than one would be good)
Measuring spoons
Scales
Cake stands
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How To Do!
Preheat your oven to 180c/350f - do it now and don't forget. I've done that before, and after the pudding stood around for half an hour it turned into a sour sort of mousse!
This is really very simple and takes hardly any time.
I would also like to note at this point that if you want an even denser cake simply don't add the bicarb, and add 1 1/2 tsp of baking soda instead of the 2tsp. It doesn't rise nearly as much, and this flat moist cake can stand without frosting all by it's self and is delicious.
For the regular cake mix the plain flower, caster sugar, muscovado sugar, coco, bi-carb and baking soda to a bowl.
Mix the butter, iced-water and oil in another bowl.
Mix eggs, sour cream and vanilla in another bowl.
To the dry ingredients add the butter and iced-water and oil mix first, then combine well. Then add the egg sour cream and vanilla mix, and combine again.
Mix until well combined, however consider this when deciding weather to eradicate all lumps. Nigella once said, when referring to muffins, that, "a lumpy batter makes the lightest muffins". I have transferred this mantra to cakes and it's never lead me astray, but if you want to go at it until it's pancake-batter smooth then be my guest.
When it's all combined you'll get something like this:
This recipe makes a really runny batter, it's not thick and spoon-able at all, don't be surprised by how wet it is. Finally, it's just a matter of buttering the cake tins, then lining the bottoms with with baking paper and adding half of the batter to each. Transfer the soon-to-be cakes to one of the higher racks of the oven, and bake for about fifty minutes. Check at forty minutes by taking a clean skewer and piercing it into the belly of the cakes, and if the skewer comes out clean your cakes are ready. Simple as that.
If they're not ready then put the cakes back in, and check every five minutes or so.
When the the cakes start to fill the house with their heady chocolate aroma, you have a pretty good indication of when to start checking. Different ovens cook differently, my oven is old and rickety so the smell test is another good guide for people like me.
Once the cakes are cooked through take them out of the oven and set them aside for five minutes to cool, then pop them out of their trays and onto wire racks so they can cool completely. Be patient and let them cool completely or else the icing will just melt.
When the cakes have cooled you can prepare the icing, and this is very easy. Melt the chocolate first so it has time to cool down, do it over a double boiler or in the microwave. If you do melt it in the microwave be careful it doesn't burn, take it out every ten seconds to stir. Once the chocolate is melted put it aside to cool slightly.
Take the soft butter and plonk it in a bowl, and while whisking slowly add in the sieved icing-sugar one spoon at a time. Make sure you take the time to whip it into the butter well; to do the cake justice you need this process to be done with love and tender care.
Once all the sugar is incorporated, take the vanilla and the cooled chocolate and beat them into the sugar and butter. You should find that the cooled chocolate won't make the butter greasy, and what you get at the end is a lovely thick and very rich chocolate butter frosting. I would try this recipe out first, and next time consider halving the chocolate frosting. If you are under twenty or have children who are under twenty and are total sugar fiends then make it all, but for me half of the frosting mixture is plenty.
And now we're ready to ice! You may consider trimming the bottom cake so that it stacks the top cake flush (this isn't necessary if you didn't add the bi-carb and only 3/4 of the baking soda), put frosting in the middle, frosting on the top, and frosting all over the sides. Slice, serve, eat, feel better. Here's my cake with a little of the frosting described on the top, and a chocolate and sour cream ganache on the bottom, you can find a recipe video for how to do this here.
I also wanted to make mention of my lovely cup-cake spoon measures that a dear friend of mine gave me for secret santa one year; these things are so cute and make baking that little more fun. Cake, out!
