Fancified Deviled Eggs
When I think party in the summer in the South, I think pimento cheese sandwiches, watermelon, sweet iced tea…and deviled eggs!
Now, I am not typically a deviled egg fan. They seem pretty boring…and mayo-y and well, just not too crave worthy. But, a few years ago, Gavin and I were invited to JCT Kitchen for lunch. The people with us insisted on ordering the deviled eggs with country ham as an appetizer…if I would have known how amazing our appetizer would be, I would have been REALLY excited. But, I wasn’t, I didn’t have high hopes!
A beautiful plate of deviled eggs arrived at our table, and I reluctantly dug in. The flavor explosion that occurred in my mouth was a much welcome surprise…I was in love…and I knew that no deviled egg would ever measure up to these.
Since the JCT version are a little pricey…and since I now crave them, I decided I should try to recreate them!
I read some recipes online, tried to pick out the flavors in the JCT version, and came up with a recipe that I think is pretty close! They are creamy…with a nice added crispness from toasted proscuitto, and perfect for any party…or lunch, or snack! They are just plain good.
Fancified Deviled Eggs
12 large eggs
3 Tablespoons mayo (I used olive oil mayo)
3 Tablespoons room temp cream cheese
3 Tablespoons room temp goat cheese
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 large clove of FRESH crushed garlic
2 small Clausen pickles, diced really small (you can use others but these are definitely best!)
3 pieces of proscuitto
1 green onion (just the green part) finely chopped
Place the eggs in a large saucepan filled with water (one inch above the eggs) and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once the water boils, turn off the heat and let the eggs stand of 10 minutes. Put the cooked eggs into an ice water bath until chilled, and then peel them!
Once the eggs are peeled, cut them in half, length wise and set the yolks aside.
In a medium bowl, mix the mayo, cream cheese, goat cheese, dijon, salt, pepper, garlic and pickle until smooth. Next, add the egg yolks and them, using an electric mixer, beat until creamy.
Now, place the egg whites on a serving platter. Fill a baggie with the yolk mixture (if you have an icing tip, insert it to make the filling prettier…if not, just cut off the corner of the bag and pipe it that way). Fill each white and them place the platter in the fridge to chill.
Next, place the proscuitto on a baking sheet and bake them in a 350 degree oven until crispy…about 7 minutes. Remove the prosiutto from the oven and allow it to cool. Then, break it into 24 jagged looking pieces.
Once the eggs are chilled, remove them from the fridge and top each one with a piece of proscuitto and a sprinkle of green onion.
Roasted Corn Salsa
Crisp, sweet corn in summer time is such a special treat! I have absolutely loved being home and getting to eat all of my favorite summery foods. Peaches, tomatoes…and lately I have been obsessed with sweet, juicy corn!
The other day, Gavin and I went up to Lake Lanier to celebrate my wonderful friend Tricia’s homecoming. She has been living in Oxford getting her Master’s Degree for the past two years (yes, she is brilliantly smart) and, like me when I am in South Africa, she has been missing Mexican food like crazy…so her sweet mom planned a fiesta to celebrate her return!
I decided to combine my love for Mexican and my love for sweet corn and make a roasted corn salsa…that can also be served as a side dish! It is super super easy…and super yummy!
One of my American friends in SA marinated corn in lime juice and chili one night at dinner and it was so amazing…it became the inspiration for this dish!
Roasted Corn Salsa
6 ears of sweet corn
2 limes
1 t chili powder
1 t chipotle powder
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t cumin powder
1 t salt
1/2 C water
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 large tomato, seeded and diced
Put all of the ears of corn in a really large zip-lock bag or large baking dish. In a small bowl, add the juice of two limes and then put the skin of the limes in. Then add the chili powder, chipotle powder, cumin powder, salt and water. Mix together and pour over the corn.
Allow this to marinate for at least two hours…but you can do it the night before and let it sit over night! *If you are marinating the corn in a baking dish, make sure to rotate it so that both sides get some time in the juice.
Preheat the oven to broil. Place the corn on a cookie sheet and broil until the corn starts to char. **SAVE THE MARINADE! Then, flip the corn over and slightly char the other side.
Let the corn cool and then cut the kernels off of the cob.
In a large bowl, mix the left over marinade, the corn kernels, the onion, tomato, and green pepper together. Add salt to taste.
Serve with chips (I used Garden of Eatin’ Blue Corn chips, because the color contrast is really pretty!)…or eat it with a fork!
What the World Eats
Things have still been a bit crazy around here…not much time for cooking. I am ITCHING to get back in the kitchen! Our friend Rich gave me a tupperware full of figs last night, and even though we are staying at Gavin’s parent’s house, and I don’t have access to my normal kitchen things, I found some sugar and made a small batch of fig preserves as a little tester. (I have never made preserves before, so I wanted to make sure they turn out before I share the recipe)! They turned out great…so be expecting some figgy goodness here soon.
Even though I haven’t done much cooking lately, I have still been reading blogs…and I came across this awesome slideshow from TIME Magazine. It is highlighting a new book called What I Eat “a thought provoking portrait of individuals around the globe and the food that fuels them over the course of a single day.”
I found it very interesting…I love learning about food in other cultures, so this article sucked me right in!
Posted on August 9, 2011 by LindsayTarquinio · 0 comments Read MoreSeasonal Geography
You know that I am a fan of seasonal eating. Food tastes better when it was grown naturally…and when it is supposed to grow. The flavors are so much more vibrant- an in season, farm grown tomato tastes, well, like a tomato is supposed to taste! So, in my nerdy internet browsing, I came across this awesome map! Not only will it tell you what’s in season where you live…it is interactive and changes every month! This is seasonal eating, made easy!
Posted on August 8, 2011 by LindsayTarquinio · 0 comments Read More