Who cares which one came first?...Deep fry those little devils!

It was probably about a week ago when I first heard about this bit of outrageous deliciousness from a co-worker. Ready?

Deep fried deviled eggs!

I was immediately intrigued by the thought and since Easter was coming up, well- I had the perfect excuse to try them out!
After buying the eggs, I boiled them and shelled them- only lost just a few to horrible peeling. LOL
(A quick tip about peeling eggs my mom told me is to drain the boiling water, carefully, and then crack all of the eggs by swirling the pot, and add cold water over the eggs. Let them sit for a few minutes and the shells will usually peel right off!)

After halving them and putting the yolks in a separate bowl, I started working on the deviled part.

To my bowl of eggs I like to add some spice. Usually I change it up depending on how I feel that day, but for this I went with some standard favorites: mustard, cider vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried mustard powder, celery seed, dried dill, and mayonnaise.
I never really measure the amounts I put in, I start mashing, and tasting, and adding, and mashing, tasting, and adding.. until it is yummy.

Putting the filling in the refrigerator, I turned to the deviling and frying part. According to my co-worker, he uses a flour/egg wash/breadcrumb coating. I started with the same, but changed to panko breadcrumbs because I like them better. Let me tell you - I had 18 people to feed, and had boiled three dozen eggs, now I had to bread 72 halves! I was frustrated after number two, for a couple of reasons. First- egg whites are delicate little flowers and don't really like to be picked up and dredged. LOL Secondly, the fingers that are dredging are immediately cased in flour and egg paste- getting larger with each dredge- I had to stop multiple times to de-bread my fingers!

However, I finished them while the deep fryer was reaching temperature, (I set it at 375 degrees) and there started to be a promise of deep fried goodness in the air.

Setting the first batch in the basket, I slowly lowered them into the fresh oil...

Five minutes of anxious checking later I had this...

It was a start, and they were so crispy! The breading was beautiful golden. Working in batches, I put the deviled filling in a pastry bag and started piping in to the crusty shells. So pretty if I do say so myself!

Here is a close up of them so you can see the texture.

I decided to add some toppings: jalapenos, paprika, dill, sea salt, and a balsamic finishing vinegar. (Haven't heard of them before? keep looking for my next blogs- I was gifted with a bunch of them! yeah!) 

After rushing them warm to the Easter dinner (these were the appetizers), I FINALLY got to try one.......YUM!  Crispy and golden on the bottom with the rich filling, and the tang of the topping. My dad declared them a winning recipe, and a new staple for the big family dinners! I may have created a bit of a monster.  A big thank you to Sim!

Next time I might try a beer batter on the whites, easier to do. will keep you all updated on the results Anyone out tried the batter fry on these? Let me know.

So go on out and try these yourself- I would love to hear how yours turn out.

Update on the book- still in the potential agent's hands... Two weeks down, and turn around time is about six weeks. I am trying hard to learn patience. LOL But I console myself each day that at least I haven't gotten a rejection yet. Haha

Follow your dreams everyone, and as always:

Live Peacefully. Cook Fearlessly.

Chris

Move over Leg of Lamb-- This Garlic/ Mustard/Rosemary Baguette Bread is the new Classic!

Happy Spring Everyone!
Today, I was at a spring celebration and wanted to create a bread that went with a friend's lamb dish. Well, actually that was Plan B- Plan A was to make Lamb/Rosemary/Garlic/Dijon mustard sausage that was inspired by Julia Child's traditional mustard-sauced Leg of Lamb. Sadly, due to a minor miscalculation of mine- who would have thought it?, the lamb was wasn't defrosted in time... so that will be tomorrow's post.
So-- I thought, why not take that fabulous mustard sauce and make it the basis of a French baguette? Classic! Plus I recently acquired some new baguette shaping pans from vacation, and wanted to get in some more time with them. Here is the results:

Do they look Yummy or what? And you know it-- they tasted out of this world. All warm garlic-y, mustard-y goodness.
The Basics:

2 cups of warm water
2 tbsp white sugar
2 packages (2 tbsp) of yeast
1 cup rye flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
4 cups of bread flour
1 tbsp mustard powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp yellow mustard
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dried rosemary

Mix the water, sugar, and yeast in a stand mixer bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with a dough hook until smooth, or mix together by hand and knead on a floured surface until smooth. Let rise for 20 minutes then cut into four equal pieces and shape each into baguette form. Place either in greased baguette trays or on a greased sheet pan, and let them rise until doubled, another 30 minutes or so.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees when you set the loaves for the second rise.
When the loaves have risen and the oven is warm, brush the tops with an egg white wash, and score the loaves with a sharp knife.
Bake until golden brown and hollow tapping, 20 minutes or so. Let cool and enjoy.

I took extra over to the Spring feast, and the texture on this loaf was great. Here's a picture of it with the lamb stew.

So that is it. It was a great dipping bread, and I saved one to have ham and cheese on tomorrow!
Enjoy!

I'm excited to share some news!

If you want to learn how to bake artisan bread with a no fail method, use deconstructing techniques, AND make some recipes that create stunning reconstructed meals- cross your fingers for me. The book proposal has been in the hands of an agent that I would LOVE to be with, and I am hoping for good news. Five more weeks  of potential waiting, I hope I can learn some patience. LOL
So far the recipe development has been fun- here is a sneak peak at one of the finished pictures.

Also in development is a YouTube site, intending to be used as a instructional area where you can find me teaching an demonstrating cooking and baking techniques.  Got a question? Want to know how to torch a cream brulee, or shape a baguette? Just mention it in the comments, and I will get on it!

Hoping that things are exciting and creative in your lives also.

Live Peacefully. Cook Fearlessly.

Chris