Your Mesh Strainer Is The Key To Creamier Deviled Eggs
We've all seen photos and videos of the most perfect-looking deviled eggs. The whites are unblemished (likely due to an ice water bath that helps you to peel hard-boiled eggs), and the yolk mixture is fluffy and smooth, like a gorgeous Swiss meringue buttercream. In reality, attaining that level of smoothness in a deviled egg mixture seems impossible.
No matter how much we mash the yolks with our forks or whip them up with a whisk, the filling remains somewhat lumpy and bumpy. But, as it turns out, it is possible to get silky smooth deviled egg filling results without the use of a bulky appliance like a food processor.
If you have a fine mesh strainer in your cooking repertoire, you, too, can produce beautiful, creamy deviled eggs. Once you push the cooked egg yolks through the tiny holes in the strainer, they will become fine and almost powdery. And, by the time you mix the rest of your deviled egg ingredients in and stir, the yolks will have broken down even more, becoming the creamiest deviled egg mixture you've ever made. You can also increase the creaminess even more by adding extra ingredients.
Adding a dairy product will increase the creaminess
The holes in a strainer or sieve are small for a reason: They are designed to separate the tiniest of solid food particles from liquid. You'd be hard pressed to squeeze any kind of solid food through these minute openings, and since egg yolk is extremely soft when it's cooked, it really doesn't take a lot of elbow grease to squeeze them through.
All you need to do is separate your cooked egg whites from the yolks. Place the yolks in a strainer and press them down with the back of a spoon. As the yolk breaks, you'll firmly scrape them downward until the yolks have come out through the bottom of the sieve into pieces you'd probably never achieve using a fork alone.
Classic deviled egg filling includes mayonnaise, white vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper mixed into the smashed egg yolk, which will give you a nice, creamy consistency. But, if you want an ethereal, mousse-like texture, try adding a little bit of a dairy product like softened cream cheese, sour cream, or crème fraiche. They will change the flavor only slightly, but in a good way, adding a mild tang. Other options are softened mascarpone cheese, fresh goat cheese or chevre, and heavy cream. You can even incorporate a pat of room temperature butter into the mixture.
If you want texture, add it on top
This mesh strainer method will result in the softest, most velvety deviled eggs you've ever had, but if you do want to add some texture to your creation, consider topping the filling with garnishes that add some crunch. Tiny slices of cornichon will do the trick while also adding a yummy tartness to your bite-sized hors d'oeuvre. You can also add a dollop of caviar, which seems to be everywhere these days, to the top of each egg and really up the glam factor.
Small pieces of crispy bacon sprinkled on the top of deviled eggs is a delicious play on bacon and eggs, but you can also add some baked prosciutto or pancetta in its place. Try toasting some panko bread crumbs in butter and combine these with finely chopped garlic and freshly chopped parsley, and then sprinkle over your deviled eggs to achieve a super crispy, almost cereal-like crunch to each bite.
A dusting of furikake with a drop of sriracha sauce would be delicious too, as would something as simple as crushed sour cream and onion (or salt and vinegar) potato chips showered on top. Any of these options combined with the soft, creamy deviled eggs will have you in texture heaven.