Devil My Eggs

"As to the omelette itself, it seems to me to be a confection which demands the most straightforward approach. What one wants is the taste of the fresh eggs and the fresh butter and, visually, a soft bright golden roll plump and spilling out a little at the edges." – Elizabeth David, from "An Omelette and a Glass of Wine"






For years I have thought about the prospect of a little corner cafe dedicated solely to the fine art of eggs. Is there anything that an egg, in some way or another, can't supplement? There were always a few nuanced staples that I thought might work nicely on the menu, recipes that are hearty for dinner, light for lunch, scrambled for breakfast if you like. Could we consider, for example, an egg pizza? I don't mean flourishing the top of the pizza with a few stylish sunny side ups (although that can certainly work as well) but I mean an egg concoction that serves as the crust, supporting any number of favorite ingredients on top, and of course plenty of cheese, a natural partner. Egg in soup? Not a stretch – we already see that in several Asian dishes. Or, taking the lead from David above, omelettes with, say, pot roast tucked nicely inside, so as to satisfy the hunger of the dinner crowd. Egg burritos? Already seen those as well and why not.

For the time being, however, before that little side cafe finds traction along some cute city street not far away from here at the house, I rely on the occasional simple omelette (no roast allowed!) and the deviled egg. Like other quick and easy dishes that leave us wondering why we don't have this particular food around at all times, the Mediterranean Deviled Egg is a wonderful little concoction offering up in their little hollows your proteins, your texture, your vegetables and your dining ease.

This recipe called for the addition of the Greek tziki sauce instead of mayonnaise. This in itself could probably suffice as a wonderful addition, as tziki includes quite a variety of ingredients, including yogurt, cucumber, garlic, salt, perhaps dill, mint or parsley.

This itself gives the cook a series of ideas for what could be. Why not swap out the mayonnaise for a yogurt based sauce at any time? One could see adding virtually anything on hand – aromatic oil, your favorite green chopped up, herbs on hand, and so on. Now, dice up some roasted red bell peppers and toss them over the tziki scoops, and then chop and toss a handful of baby arugula over the top of that, adding not only a friendly visual but a raw vegetable. Sprinkle over with some pepper?

Now, it's possible a person might not be able to live on deviled eggs alone, but it's getting close. I've always felt the deviled is considerably more substantial than other appetizers on standard menus. I could easily see serving a variety of deviled, build your own, from an ingredients list offered on the menu. A glass of white wine along the side and you have the solid bases for that neighborhood restaurant.