The Devil Is In The Details

The Devil Is In The Details

In some (very small) circles, I am "kind of a big deal." Not because I invented Bobbie's Boat Sauce, but because when I had a cafe in the early 00's, I made a very classic deviled egg every day and sold them for 75¢ a half.  This was before deviled eggs were brought out of the realm of nostalgic kitsch and on offer in restaurants and gastro pubs across the country.  It was prescient.  But,  as trendsetters know, nothing is new for very long.  Soon Grüner, the German/Alsacian restaurant up the street from us, was serving an exquisite beet-pickled deviled egg studded with cornichon and flecked with horseradish.  Elsewhere in town, salmon roe and creme fraiche were elevating the humble stuffed egg. As I was exiting the industry, the deviled egg became the litmus of a restaurant's creative depth and culinary values. Frankly, it was a relief to stop trying to hang onto relevance, and to go back to making deviled eggs for parties.  

Bobbie's Boat Dust has suddenly revived a passion for these creatures and does what a sprinkling of paprika or cayenne could never hope to: it utters a whole dialogue of flavors in one bite. These are not just for entertaining, but for a quick lunch or snack, like in the Half & Half days. Who says you can't boil 6 eggs, mix the yolks with a little mayo, yellow mustard, pickle juice, and pepper, divide the mixture in half, mix in different flavor profiles, and keep a plate of 2 kinds of deviled eggs in your fridge for a couple of days? In less time than it takes to boil the eggs, you have a low-carb, keto-friendly, protein-rich delicacy filled with whatever you fancy, and dusted with delicious Boat Dust.  


Here's my master recipe for deviled eggs.  Like in my cafe days, I like to keep the base of the recipe very simple, then add what inspires me.  Would you be surprised to learn that I have a few strong opinions about my deviled egg base?  Well.  My biggest and loudest is that while mustard is essential, it needs to be of the yellow variety, not Dijon. This is just not the place for a wine-infused mustard. I prefer Coleman's dry or prepared yellow mustard, because it's super strong and bracing, but I alway keep a bottle of French's in my fridge, because you never know. I also like to add pickle brine instead of vinegar, but if I don't have the right jar of pickles, I'll just use white vinegar. If you've actually read this far, I don't believe we need to discuss mayonnaise brands at this point. But my last tip: if using prepared mustard and pickle brine, there is really no need for additional salt.  Trust me - there's salt in every other ingredient you're adding, so at the very least, try it before you blindly add.  

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