What’s better than cheap and easy finger food? How about an elegant party nibble that’s cheap, easy and flies off the table as soon as you set it down? If your idea of deviled eggs is a boring boiled egg white slopped with mashed, hard-cooked egg yolk, mayo, mustard and relish, this elegant deviled egg recipe is going to deliciously change your mind.
Rather than waste your party prep time with the classic deviled egg recipe, transform your hard-cooked eggs into scrumptious, must-eat party snacks that boast impressive, kicked-up flavors.
The secret ingredients that make these elegant deviled eggs quickly disappear from the hors-d’oeuvres table are sherry vinegar, hot red pepper, minced fresh chives and avocado oil.
Sherry vinegar adds a complex nutty, slightly sweet and acidic taste that brightens up the other ingredients. Hot sauce and ground hot red pepper deliver an attention-getting heat that builds on your palate. Chives give the eggs a beautiful contrast of green color and a welcome hint of onion flavor. A drizzle of avocado oil finishes the deviled eggs with a mildly nutty, buttery taste.
The extra effort of piping the dressed up deviled egg filling into the egg whites gives this recipe an upscale presentation compared to simply spooning it in. If you don’t have a piping bag with a decorative tip, put filling in a zip-top plastic bag, snip off one of the bottom corners of the bag and just as easily pipe the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites with a healthy squeeze.
Cook’s note: The best eggs to use for deviled eggs are older eggs because they peel significantly easier than fresh eggs. When it comes to hard-cooking eggs, fresher is not better. The shells of fresh eggs tend to adhere to the hard-cooked egg white, which makes peeling the eggs near impossible, even under cold running water. You end up with homely, pock-marked egg whites that no one wants to put in their mouths. For deviled egg success, purchase eggs from your grocer seven to 10 days before you plan to hard-cook them.
