The deliciously fussy-looking devilled egg and its pal, the vol-au-vent, were the ghosts of parties past for several decades before their triumphant revival as retro classics. Not only do these old-fashioned canapés look and taste great, but, as we’re belatedly remembering, the boiled egg, in particular, is a nutritional powerhouse far superior to a mere bowl of crisps. Make up to a day ahead, if necessary.
Prep15 minCook12 minMakes8
4 eggs(see step 1)1 tsp softened butter1 tsp mustard powder3 tbsp mayonnaise, at room temperature (see step 8)¼ tsp flaky celery saltA generous shake of hot sauce½ tsp white-wine vinegar(see step 6)Black pepper, to taste1 small bunch chivesCayenne pepper, to finish
If possible, make these with room-temperature eggs, stored on their side for as long as possible before cooking to centre the yolks and to make for a prettier finished dish. I prefer to buy mixed-sized boxes (large eggs can be painful for the hens; small and medium are kinder), but the timings here will work regardless.
Put the eggs in a pan large enough to hold them in a single layer and add cold water to cover by about 2cm. Bring to a boil, then immediately turn down the heat to a bare shimmer and leave to cook for 12 minutes. Scoop out into a large bowl or pan of cold water (once cool, the boiled eggs will keep in the fridge for up to a week).
To prepare, lightly rap the eggs against a hard surface to crack the shells all the way round, then, starting at the blunt end, where there’s an air pocket to facilitate matters, peel carefully. I like to do this in a bowl of cold water, because this helps the shell come off even more easily.
If you really want to impress your audience, trim a little from the roundest point on each side of the egg, so it will sit flat on a plate (keep the trimmings), then cut in half – use a long, thin knife, dipped in cold water first, to give a neater result.
Scoop out the yolks into a small bowl and mash with a fork (add the finely chopped egg white trimmings, too, if you have those).
In a separate bowl, beat the butter with a fork to soften it further, then gradually beat in the mustard powder and mayonnaise (see step 8 for a quick homemade option), until thoroughly combined.
Stir the celery salt, hot sauce and vinegar into the mayonnaise mixture and season with a little pepper.
Most types of vinegar will work here, but anything dark such as balsamic will give your eggs a less than appetising colour, while malt has a whiff of the chippie. Swap in any other flavourings (for example, miso, curry powder, capers, fish roe, etc) as you fancy.
Stir in the crumbled egg yolks. Finely chop the chives, stir into the mix, then taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
Using a small spoon, divide the egg yolk mayo between the hollowed-out egg whites or, if you’re feeling very fancy, pipe it in using a bag and a star-shaped nozzle. Arrange on a plate, dust with cayenne pepper and serve.
To make a quick mayonnaise, you’ll need a stick blender and a jar or jug that’s barely larger than the head of the blender.
Put an egg yolk in the jar with a tablespoon each of mustard and cold water and a teaspoon of vinegar. Pour in 225ml of neutral oil followed by 25ml extra-virgin olive oil, then leave to settle for 30 seconds.
Plunge the stick blender into the base of the jar and turn it on, keeping it hard against the bottom until you see white mayonnaise begin to billow out from underneath. At this point, very slowly draw the blender up through the remaining oil until it’s all emulsified, then season to taste.