3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1/4 cup mustard sauce (see recipe)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Shell and halve the hard-boiled eggs lengthwise. Remove the egg yolks and reserve. Place the egg whites on the prepared baking sheet and set aside.
3. Heat one tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for two minutes, until golden brown. Reserve.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a food-processor bowl), mix the reserved egg yolks, cooked shallots, cream, chives, tarragon, and mustard into a paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Fill a pastry bag with the mixture, leaving enough room to close and twist the top of the bag. Pipe the mixture into the egg-white halves. Dot each egg-white half with a piece of the remaining one tablespoon of butter, sprinkle with paprika, and bake for five to eight minutes, until browned on top. Serve with mustard sauce if desired.
- From The City Tavern Cookbook, by Walter Staib with Paul Bauer (Running Press, 2009)
Note: Nearly every colonial household owned at least one hen, so eggs were plentiful in supply and prepared in numerous ways. This rich and lively cousin to deviled eggs was inspired by a recipe for "Stuffed Eggs" written by Martha Washington's sister, Anna Maria Dandridge, in 1756. Traditionally, the 18th-century chef would have roasted the eggs in the hot ashes of the kitchen fireplace, but cooking them in boiling water produces the same result.
Per serving (without mustard sauce): 164 calories, 9 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram sugar, 13 grams fat, 268 milligrams cholesterol, 207 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.
Makes about 11/2 cups
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 medium shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups white wine
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, for serving
1. Heat the butter and oil in a two-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and shallots and saute three minutes, until translucent. Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until well combined.
2. Stir in the wine, vinegar, tomato paste, and mustard. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until reduced by one-fourth. Season with salt and white pepper and set aside to keep warm or serve immediately. Just before serving, stir in the parsley.
- From The City Tavern Cookbook, by Walter Staib with Paul Bauer (Running Press, 2009)
Per two-teaspoon serving: 15 calories, trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace sugar, 1 gram fat, 1 milligram cholesterol, 14 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.
Contact columnist Rick Nichols at 215-854-2715 or rnichols@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/ricknichols.
