Cooking Creole: Deviled eggs and their alternate name for church functions (2024)

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Deviled eggs garnished with capers and paprika, served on a glass deviled-egg plate.

(The NOLA.com / Times-Picayune archive)

"Why are deviled eggs called that?"

The questions was raised by my 10-year-old niece while she and I were making a couple of dozen for a recent family gathering.

I happened to have the answer. The term dates to the 19th century, and it was used to refer to foods that were spicy or zesty with the addition of mustard or pepper. In some regions of the South and the Midwest, deviled eggs are also called salad or dressed eggs when they are served at a church function, to avoid the term "deviled."

Deviled eggs have been a popular picnic offering as well as being a standard item in what has become known, especially in the South, as "funeral food."

The traditional or classic deviled egg is stuffed with finely mashed hard-boiled egg yolks bound with mayonnaise, but through the years, the deviled egg has been adapted continuously to reflect customs and cravings of the changing food trends.

For example, in the 1940s, eggs were typically dusted with paprika. In the 1960s, James Beard garnished his eggs extravagantly with caviar. Fresh dill was a popular garnish in the 1970s. In the early 1990s, I remember having wasabi deviled eggs.

And just recently, chef Sean Brock at the celebrated restaurant Husk in Charleston presented diners with deviled eggs topped with pickled okra and trout roe.

I noticed my niece didn't seem to be so intrigued by all of this: P probably way too much information. But when I pulled out my collection of deviled egg plates, her interest was rekindled.

"I've never seen a dish like this before," she said.

My collection includes two vintage milk glass platters, three clear glass ones, a Christmas-themed one and one orange/red platter featuring tiny chickens. One that I retrieved from Mama's house after it burned is cracked, but I can't seem to part with it. It's the one she used at Easter, and she always made a bed of fresh parsley sprigs from her garden on this particular one.

With more warm weather ahead, I plan to make lots of chilled deviled eggs to offer during the co*cktail hour, since another niece has been bringing me two dozen of her yard eggs just about every week.

This first recipe I adapted from one by Julia Reed, one of my favorite Southern writers and a great Southern foodie. The addition of the butter gives the egg yolk stuffing a nice texture. To add MY touch to it, I garnish the eggs with a tiny dab of pesto made with my homegrown sweet basil.

Julia Reed's Deviled Eggs

Makes 24

1 dozen eggs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pesto for garnish (recipe follows)

Place the eggs in a saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer and cover with tap water. Bring to a boil, cover, turn off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Drain and run under cold water until the eggs are completely cool.

Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and rub through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, mustard and butter; mix until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Place in a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with a cut-off corner. Fill the egg whites by pressing the bag. Garnish each with a small dab of pesto.

Garden Pesto

Makes 2 cups

3 cups fresh basil (tightly packed), gently rinsed and patted dry

5 cloves garlic

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (or walnuts or pecans)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

2/3 cup virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a food processor, combine the basil and garlic and pulse two to three times to chop. Add the nuts and cheeses, and pulse once or twice. Slowly add the oil while the processor is running, and blend. Season with salt and pepper.

The mixture can be stored in the refrigerator in airtight containers (I use small sterilized jars) for several weeks. The pesto can also be tossed with pasta, spread on crostinis, and dabbed on thick slices of tomatoes.

When I really want to splurge, I make these lobster deviled eggs.

Lobster Deviled Eggs

Makes 24

12 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled

1/3 cup mayonnaise (or more to taste)

1 tablespoon Creole mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Hot sauce to taste

3/4 cup finely chopped cooked lobster meat

Paprika for garnish

Snipped chives for garnish

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks. Combine the yolks, mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse to blend. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Pulse once or twice to blend.

Combine the mixture in a bowl with the lobster meat and stir gently Spoon the mixture into the egg whites and garnish with paprika and snipped chives.

Crabmeat Deviled Eggs

Makes 16

8 jumbo hard-boiled eggs, peeled

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sour cream

2 teaspoons snipped chives

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley leaves

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 pound white crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage

Salt, freshly ground black pepper and hot sauce to taste

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks, put them in a bowl, and mash them with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, parsley, and lemon juice. Blend well. Fold in the crabmeat and season with salt, black pepper and hot sauce. (Add more mayonnaise if you like a moister mixture.)

Mound about 1 heaping tablespoon of the crabmeat mixture into the cavity of each egg white half. The eggs can be served immediately or stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.