VittlesVamp

Deviled Eggs Are My Culinary Kryptonite

A little over a year ago I wrote about fear of rice. Admittedly it's hard to get it right on the stovetop. From time to time I've mustered some small success with basmati rice. Even so, it took buying a rice cooker for rice to start making regular guest appearances at dinnertime.

Sadly, there is no device or advice that has yet to help me when it comes to another staple -- one that has proven to be a formidable frenemy. I'm talking about Satan's favorite high-cholesterol snack, the Deviled Egg.

Some downright gorgeous specimens from The Long Island Bar & Restaurant are pictured above. Delicious.

Would I like to replicate these beauties for a Southern-style dinner party opener (someday, when we can have dinner parties again)? Yes! But, alas, all my attempts at hard-boiling and peeling eggs has come up short. I am never able to peel away the shell clean. I am always ending up with whites with major pockmarks. Not a pretty sight. And Deviled Eggs must be pretty. That's in the Deviled Egg bylaws. It's pretty strict about the need for Deviled Eggs to be pretty.

I have tried many methods. All have failed. I have officially given up and I will leave the "Deviling" to those more capable. I think we'll all be better for it. I know the eggs will be better for it for sure.

The Picnic Approach

The kitchen still isn't done. Almost there. Not quite. Despite all that, currently back in my apartment.

What does that mean for food prep? Can't stock the fridge yet and my cooking equipment isn't on-hand, so meals are a bit of a "throw together" these days.

Poor me? Not really. I'm making it work. I'm going with a picnic approach to dining. Think a slice of pâté from Marlow & Daughters with some cornichons, a dab of Dijon, and good crackers. The vacuum-sealed Spanish charcuterie above were lovely with a wedge of lightly smoked Idiazábal cheese and a small baguette from Sullivan Street Bakery. Then again, Acme whitefish salad spooned onto slices of cucumbers was also quite satisfying. Mandarin oranges have been a go-to dessert, easy to peel and luscious to down.

Am I ready to start cooking and baking again?

Hell-to-the-yes! But, the picnic-ing phase of this renovation hasn't been all bad.