Monday, November 22, 2010

That'll Clear Your Sinuses! ... And Get You Tipsy.

Cooking Adventure: Sriracha & Wasabi Deviled Eggs
Source: Food & Wine
The Bellydance Soundtrack: Inchalla by Latifa
Prep Time: 4hrs
Cook Time: 30 min.

This weekend le husband was out enjoying a yearly tradition amongst the males of his family: sitting in freezing cold woods & shooting at things. I've occasionally been invited to visit the deer camp cabin, but have so far declined based on the grounds that it's a cesspool of testosterone (i.e. men attempting to be manly men by contesting who has farted up the local atmosphere's percentage of methane). It does stand to reason, though, that if my man leaves to be manly for the weekend, that I can take over the apartment with a girly girl slumber party. 

Each year the party gets more elaborate in decorations or food. And since last fall I went a little crazy getting dollar store decor, this time around it seems I was bit by the cooking bug. I spent most of Friday & all of Saturday prep cooking. It might not have taken so long, if I hadn't completely undercooked the first dozen hard boiled eggs. I ended up having to bike to the store and have another go with a new batch, but this time with specific instructions on how to properly boil an egg (Directions below). Yay,  Internet!

The rest of the recipes will come in due time, but for now I present you with the best hors d'oeuvre of the night. These deviled eggs are soaked in sake for four hours before serving them. Mix the spicy taste of wasabi with the hard alcohol taste, and it's perfect for getting party guests to wake up for the evening. 

Ingredients
  - 1 dozen large eggs
 - 2 cups soy sauce
 - 1/2 cup sake
 - 10 star anise pods
 - 1/2 cup chopped scallions
 - 1/4 cup sugar
 - 1/4 cup coarsely grated peeled fresh ginger
 - 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
 - 1 tablespoon Sriracha (That bottle of red sauce with the rooster on it that often grazes Japanese restaurant tables.)
 - 2 1/4 teaspoons wasabi paste
 - 1/4 cup snipped chives
 - Pinch of Chinese five-spice powder 
Directions
1. Hard boil the eggs
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the soy sauce with the sake, star anise, chopped scallions, sugar and grated ginger. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Transfer the mixture to a heatproof bowl and let cool completely.
3. Drain the water from the large saucepan and shake the pan gently to crack the eggs. Cool the eggs slightly under cold running water, then peel them under running water. Add the eggs to the soy mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the eggs for at least 4 hours.
4. Drain the eggs and rinse lightly to remove any bits of scallion or ginger; pat dry. Using a slightly moistened thin, sharp knife, cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Gently pry the egg yolks into a medium bowl and mash with a fork. Stir the mayonnaise, Sriracha, wasabi and 3 tablespoons of the snipped chives into the mashed yolks. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a star or plain tip. Set the egg whites on a serving platter and pipe in the filling. Sprinkle the deviled eggs with the remaining 1 tablespoon of chives and the Chinese five-spice powder and serve.

3 comments:

Faerie Sage said...

Wow that really will get you going in the morning! (or evening)
Very nice recipe.
Blessings

Leanna said...

David does that sort of male bonding thing with the fishing rod out on the coast. He doesn't shoot at things except snakes.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Faerie Sage! Blessings back. :)

@Leeanna - Does your husband go sea fishing? I lived in Florida, Texas & Louisiana for years and just never got around to it. But it's something I've always wanted to try. And holy cow is your husband a good marksman if he can actually hit those snakes! Well, or the snakes are REALLY big. :P