Cookbook Review: "D'Lish Deviled Eggs"

D'Lish Deviled Eggs

by Kathy Casey

Andrews McMeel Publishing

I am in love with this cookbook, D'Lish Deviled Eggs: A Collection of Recipes from Creative to Classic! You're probably asking, "Really?!? You're crazy for a cookbook about deviled eggs?" Well, I'm crazy about deviled eggs, period. Whenever I'm at an event where the deviled egg makes an appearance, I start out with one or two of them. However, when I see that everyone has been served and there are some deviled eggs remaining, I'll go back and finish them off. Call it my dessert!

When I got the opportunity to review a cookbook dedicated to deviled eggs, I jumped all over it. The cookbook has far exceeded my expectations. I was blown away by the infinite possibilities of dressing up an old standby, the deviled egg.

The cookbook starts out discussing deviled egg dishware which I know will be my new obsession. You can see my deviled egg dish in the photo below, white and functional. But, I feel like I need to start hitting thrift stores and housewares departments to find another dish or two (on clearance, of course).

Before moving to the recipes, Kathy Casey lists serving suggestions for different holiday events such as serving Devilish Green Eggs and Ham for St. Patrick's Day and Southwest Salsa Deviled Eggs for Cinco de Mayo. There's also a list of party ideas which pairs the perfect deviled egg for your event. If you're having a Girls Night, try the Caesar Salad Deviled Eggs or the Dirty Martini Deviled Eggs. 

The recipes are the stars of the cookbook, of course. Start with the Classic Picnic-Style Deviled Egg and quickly evolve into Garden Ranch 'n Veggie Deviled Eggs, All-American Potato Salad Deviled Eggs, and the Green Goddess Deviled Eggs.

Do you want to step out of your egg comfort zone and add some foreign spice to your eggs? Try Thai Curry-Spiced Deviled Eggs with Shrimp, Glorious Greek Deviled Eggs, Ginger Chili Deviled Eggs, Wasabi Deviled Eggs, Indian Curry Deviled Eggs, or Tahini and Tabbouleh Deviled Eggs.

For this review, I tested the 20th Century-Style Deviled Eggs with a kick of horseradish, Retro Shrimp Cocktail Deviled Eggs, and Old-School Onion Dip Deviled Eggs (see below). I found that all of the recipes could be easily halved. The directions were clear and easy to follow. Even though the author demonstrates piping techniques, I choose the rustic route - spooning the filling into the eggs.

While some of the recipes call for special ingredients like smoked salmon, Chinese BBQ pork, lobster or caviar, most of the recipes use common ingredients that you already have in your pantry. And, that's the beauty of this cookbook! You can use it to whip up traditional deviled eggs to feed your family or splurge on some special ingredients to impress your friends.

Old-School Onion Dip Deviled Eggs

Old-School Onion Dip Deviled Eggs

 

1 dozen hard-boiled eggs

 

Filling

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

6 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons Lipton onion soup mix

3 tablespoons minced white onion

Topping

1/3 cup French’s French-fried onion pieces

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

Halve the eggs lengthwise, transfer the yolks to a mixing bowl, and reserve. Set the egg white halves on a platter, cover, and refrigerate.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, and soup mix, and mix until smooth. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, with a fork, mash the yolks to a smooth consistency. Add the mayonnaise mixture to the yolks, and mash until smooth. (You can also do this using an electric mixer with a whip attachment.) Stir in the onion. Taste and season accordingly.

Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain or large star tip, then pipe the mixture evenly into the egg white halves. Or fill the eggs with a spoon, dividing the filling evenly.

Top each egg half with sprinkles of fried onions and thinly sliced green onions.

Every recipe that I tried from this cookbook was wonderful and none of the eggs actually made it until dinner. We ate them as soon as I prepared them. I don’t plan on putting this cookbook away on the shelf any time soon as there are still so many recipes left to try. I can’t wait to try the Honey Mustard Deviled Eggs topped with broken pretzel pieces. The excitement is more than I can bear.

If you’re like me and are already a fan of deviled eggs, then you must add this cookbook to your collection. If you're unfamiliar with the deviled egg but would like to add it to your repertoire, this cookbook is a wonderful starting point!

Disclaimer: The publisher provided me with a copy of this cookbook; however, the opinion expressed here is my own.