Sunday, August 5, 2012

#CookingForJulia with Oeufs à la Diable #SundaySupper

My stepbrother recently got engaged to a beautiful, incredibly wonderful girl. It's tradition in both my stepfamily and hers to have several large gatherings along the way - beginning with the engagement party, followed by the wedding shower, stagette and stag parties, rehearsal dinner and finally the wedding itself! All of these events are nothing short of huge, both in terms of attendance and amount of food and drink consumed! Luckily, the couple are not overly fancy individuals, and I'm sure that if they could get away with it they'd have skipped most of the preamble parties and just dealt with the wedding itself.

But that's not about to happen! The moms are running the show these days, which means that all the assorted customs are being adhered to. Last weekend the engagement party went off with full pomp and circumstance, culminating in a partially catered, partially potlucked feast that spread over the entire afternoon and evening. I was supposed to attend, and like the Toronto Festival of Beer I was looking forward to the party, but unfortunately I hurt myself during the week at the gym and wasn't in the best of shape for travelling or socializing and I didn't want to be a downer on such a happy occasion. Instead, I contributed to the festivities as much as I could by helping my Mom make some of the dishes she was bringing, including her version of Julia Child's devlied eggs.

Since this week's #SundaySupper event is in honour of Julia Child's 100th birthday, our group is using the hashtag #CookingForJulia and sharing our favourite Julia dishes. While deviled eggs are certainly not a favourite of mine, no matter whose recipe it is (I hate the smell and taste of hardboiled eggs!), my stepbrother loves them, and my mom is a fan of pretty much anything Julia Child since I gave her a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking for Christmas two years ago. It was only natural that we break out this classic for an elegant party - even though the attendees were Italian, Greek and Macedonian for the most part (and none of them were French!).

Regardless of your nationality, it's hard to argue with a well made hors d'ouvre - and the Oeufs à la Diable are certainly that. I liked how unique Julia's recipe was, using a mixture of butter (of course!) and mayonnaise in the filling. Mom usually takes it a bit further in her preparation by using even less mayo in favour of a touch of olive oil and a hint of lemon zest, then I added my flair by piping the filling into the saved whites and finishing the lot with a sprinkling of paprika. For garnish, I carved some radishes to go into the tray for a change of colour and texture. I'm no veggie carver, but I liked how they looked and the platter was well received regardless!


Here is our list of fabulous Julia Child cooks... Bon Appetit!

#CookForJulia Breakfast

#CookForJulia Lunch

#CookForJulia Dinner

#CookForJulia Sides

#CookForJulia Desserts

#CookForJulia Wine Pairings:
  • Relishing Food and Wine; Thanks to Julia Child! by ENOFYLZ

Oeufs à la Diable
Makes 36 halves
1 1/2 dozen hard-boiled eggs (I make them like this, Mom prefers the old-fashioned boil to death method ⊙.◎)
2 tbsp real mayonnaise
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp salted butter, softened
1 1/2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
pinch each salt and pepper
paprika, for sprinkling
radishes, grape tomatoes, green onions or celery, for garnish (optional)
  1. Halve the eggs carefully and, using a small spoon, remove the yolks to the top of a potato ricer or food mill.
  2. Press the yolks through into a bowl and beat in the mayonnaise, oil, lemon zest, butter, relish, salt and pepper.
  3. Spoon into pastry bag (use a star tip for pretty filling!).
  4. Set egg whites on a flat surface and pipe even amounts of filling into each cavity. Dust with paprika.
  5. Place finished eggs on a serving platter (with additional garnish veggies if desired), cover and chill until needed.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 50.0
Total Fat: 4.1 g
Cholesterol: 94.8 mg
Sodium: 48.7 mg
Total Carbs: 0.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
Protein: 3.1 g

22 comments :

  1. Beautifully done! Thank you so much for joing #SS this week!

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  2. Gorgeous Sarah! We have a special plate in my house reserved for deviled eggs! They're a family favorite!

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  3. I love deviled eggs! Great choice, Sarah!

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  4. What a lovely tradition - I wish our family did something like that. These deviled eggs sound delicious - nothing like a good deviled egg!

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  5. My goodness! I haven't had Deviled Eggs in years. My Mom used to make them when I was a kid. Thanks for the post!

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  6. I love deviled eggs. I have not made Julia's version yet but I will have to. They look so good.

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  7. Can't go wrong with deviled eggs--whenever I serve at a party, they're always the first thing to go!

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  8. My sister is a real fan of deviled eggs! These look Ah-mazing, will definitely have to give them a try!

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  9. These eggs looks beautiful! I have a party coming up too (although not a wedding) but I think I might make them just for the occasion! Thank you!

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  10. Perfect recipe for so many parties lining up. They sound really good with the addition of paprika, and who doesn´t like a deviled egg?

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  11. Traditional food at it's finest! Lovely display without doubt. Julia was ever so prevalent in our house. Regrettably I didn't pay much attention to the who but rather the how following the yum this is fabulous line!

    I have to try these eggs!!! Thank you so much for sharing it. Hope your injury has since healed Sarah.

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  12. Fantastic! I love deviled eggs, and the addition of some butter sounds about right to me.

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  13. Looks pretty great! Thanks for sharing! I love deviled eggs!

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  14. Wow ! Bet it was a hit appetizer at the party ! Love devilled eggs and this looks like such a nice variation ! Love the carved radish too !! Yumm !

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  15. Oh my word, I LOVE deviled eggs. I shall eat your share. :)

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  16. Yummy deviled eggs! And cute radishes, too!!

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  17. Sarah this is fabulous. This would go over beautifully at any dinner party.

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  18. I just got engaged too and we are planning our wedding. We were at a venue talking about the menu and I really called hore de vours. Horse devowers. Yes I really did that. Good luck to your stepbrother in the wedding planning!

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  19. hors d'ouvre = one of my favorite parts of a meal

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  20. These look great! I use the old fashioned boil to death method too. LOL

    Jamie @ www.mamamommymom.com

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  21. I love deviled eggs and can't wait to try these. They look wonderful!

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Thanks for the feedback!