NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
December 2, 1999
I'm making a prediction here: Oval is in. Expect to see more eggs decorating holiday snack platters this year. In fact, if you've got one of those 1950s-vintage decorative plates with the large dimples to hold deviled eggs, dust it off.
My love of deviled eggs dates back to when I was a kid, and it was a love I shared with Grandma Trimble. Eating a Sunday smorgasbord at a local restaurant became a family tradition when I was in grade school, and deviled eggs were part of the standard fare. Our plates always contained one or two of these wide-eyed morsels. I remember Grandma would wink at me and chuckle when she saw what was on my plate.
But receiving Grandma's approval was not the only reason I chose deviled eggs. I was enticed by the creaminess of the spicy yolk, made satiny smooth by the incorporation of mayonnaise and prepared mustard, and by the contrast between the yolk's silkiness and the springiness of the hard-cooked white. I can't think of another food that offers such an unusual combination of textures, and to me, texture can often be more tantalizing than taste.
The South likes to lay claim to deviled eggs, but I've seen recipes for Greek deviled eggs featuring ouzo (a Greek liquor), chopped mint, chopped black olives--and mayonnaise, of course. Trendy deviled egg recipes now call for sun-dried tomatoes. Others contain various combinations of smoked salmon, minced green or purple onion, chives, diced red bell pepper, and lemon zest, and there are deviled egg recipes that include key ingredients such as curry, cumin, capers, anchovies, bacon, cheese or radishes.
I've thought about making some deviled eggs with smoked salmon, sour cream, horseradish and plenty of paprika for the holidays. Accompanying those reddish eggs would be another batch with garlic, chopped fresh cilantro, lime juice and mayonnaise--a combination which should provide a complementary green color and a light-yet-robust flavor.
Because my wife Nicki now looks at me strangely every time I pull the mayonnaise jar out of our refrigerator, I've begun to feel a bit self-conscious about how much of this velvety perfection I eat, even if it does improve the taste of everything it touches. So, the following recipe, adapted from one appearing in the August 1994 edition of Gourmet magazine, provides a lower-calorie way to enjoy the devilish part of deviled eggs--the seasonings.
Hard-Cooked Holiday Eggs
Yield: 6 servingsIngredients:
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
6 hard-cooked large eggs, halved
2 tablespoons coarse salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon cayenne, or to tasteProcedure:
Roast cumin and coriander seeds in a small skillet over moderate heat until fragrant. Shake the skillet continuously while roasting to prevent scorching the seeds. Grind the seeds finely in a mortar with a pestle, an electric spice grinder or a cleaned coffee grinder. Arrange egg halves on a platter and sprinkle evenly with cumin-coriander mixture, salt, chives and cayenne. Serve immediately.
What's Your Take on This, Julie?
Eggs have been beaten up by critics in past years, but new research is showing a sunnier side for these high-protein members of the Food Guide Pyramid's meat group. In a study that included more than 117,000 nurses and other health professionals, scientists found that eating up to one egg a day was unlikely to increase the risk of heart disease in healthy men and women. The study was reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association and conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Yes, eggs do contain cholesterol (about 215 milligrams per egg), but there's no clear-cut relationship between dietary cholesterol--the cholesterol we eat--and blood cholesterol, which can lead to the buildup of plaque in our arteries and increase our heart-disease risk. Eggs are relatively low in fat (about 5 grams per egg, including 1.6 grams of saturated fat).
A diet high in saturated fat has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease. Saturated fat, such as lard, tends to be more solid at room temperature than unsaturated fat. Nutrition professionals recommend that no more than 10 percent of total calories come from saturated fat. If you're on a restricted diet, visit with your doctor or dietitian for their recommendations on eggs. To keep your saturated fat intake low, try fat-free cooking methods such as poaching your eggs, or use a non-stick pan or a vegetable spray for frying eggs.
If you plan to whip up some homemade eggnog, custard ice cream or Caesar salad this holiday season, keep food safety in mind. Shell eggs are the most common carriers of Salmonella enteritidis, surpassing even poultry and meat. In fact, 82 percent of all Salmonella outbreaks between 1985 and 1991 were traced back to contaminated shell eggs. French toast, lasagna, hollandaise sauce, ice cream, and baked and sunny-side up eggs all have linked to Salmonella outbreaks.
About one in 20,000 eggs carries Salmonella, according to USDA figures. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service is cracking down on egg safety from farm to table. Refrigeration at 45 F during distribution and warning labels on egg cartons are just a couple of the safety measures being considered.
You don't have to be an egghead to avoid problems in your home. Don't eat raw eggs. Cook eggs until the whites and yolks are firm, not runny. Avoid cross contamination by washing your hands, utensils and work surfaces with warm soapy water after contacting egg-containing foods. Use pasteurized liquid or pasteurized in-shell eggs in recipes (such as eggnog or ice cream), which call for raw eggs that won't be cooked. Use powdered whites in uncooked desserts calling for whipped egg whites. And, resist the temptation to nibble on cookie dough.
Eggs are a nutritional bargain. They're the gold standard in terms of protein digestibility, plus they contain vitamins A, folate, B-12, riboflavin and zinc--all for less than 10 cents per egg. Moderation is always a key in healthful eating, and that's true for this week's recipe too. One Hard-Cooked Holiday Egg contains 83 calories and 5.6 grams of fat.
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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136
Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
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