mustard, pickling, and deviling
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| photo credit of Bitterroot |
i love the word deviling. it sounds dangerous. let me go back a few weeks to a brief restaurant review of bitterroot bbq in ballard. being mostly vegetarian, i am not one to usually go to a steak house or bbq pit. but bitterroot's woodsy and charming interior drew me in while walking through ballard one day. their menu features local meats, house-made sauces (mustards, bbq sauce, even the ketchup...), killer corn bread and other fun bar food and grilled goodies. i had a simple greens salad piled with a grilled peach filled with oozing blue cheese. i also enjoyed my first ever pickled egg. what?! it was firm, dyed pink from beet-pickling juice, and deviled. i love deviled eggs as you might remember. it was stunning and worthy of replicating to perfection. anyhow, it was a fun meal - bitterroot's power kept going out due to a heat wave in seattle, and the music and lights would randomly shut off and on followed by drunken cheers from the bar when the music picked back up. hilarity.
these recipes are simple. just a bit time consuming. but oh so worth the efforts.
beet pickled eggs:
1 beet, peeled and cut into quartered 1/4" slices
1 cup water
1 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup raw sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 one-week old eggs (older eggs peel easier! fresh eggs are a pain in the ass...)
bring prepared beets to simmer in one cup of water in a small sauce pan. simmer for 20-40 minutes (depending on size of beets) until fork-able or your to the texture you prefer. remove beets from sauce pan and place in a large mason jar. adding vinegar, sugar and salt to beet juice and simmer until disolved then remove from heat and let cool. in the mean time, in a different pot, place 6 eggs under a few inches of water. bring to a gentle simmer and then remove the pot immediately from the heat. cover with lid and let sit for 10 minutes. when finished, poor off the water and fill the pot with cold water and ice to chill the eggs. once cool, gently peel the eggs and place in the jar with the beets. cover with pickling juice and set in the fridge for 2 days. the color will start to set in after about one day. they look most impressive after 2 days of pickling. after 4 days the yokes will start to turn pink too, which takes away the beautiful contrast in colors.
to devil your eggs:
cut in half, remove yolks and place yolks in a small bowl. add a spoonful of greek yogurt or mayo. a spoonful of grainy mustard. vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. add shredded carrots to the mix if you like to add some crunch and texture.
spoon the yolk mixture back into the eggs and top with a sliver of the pickled beets from your jar! delicious.
to make home made mustard:
6 tablespoons yellow or brown mustard seeds (or a mix)
3 tablespoons yellow mustard powder
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup white wine or water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons honey (optional)
combine well and place into a mason jar. let sit for at least 24 hours, stir at least once. this mustard is pretty intense, but i love it. add herbs or onion if you like, or more honey too 'cool' down the flavors.