Egg Salad

Dear Michelle-

I can't believe you're really all the way across the Atlantic! Lucky you. You'd better eat some extra figs and Spanish ham for me. I'll expect a full, detailed report. When your Internet is up, of course. Oh, I wish I could come visit you!

But I should not complain; I recently got to spend two and a half weeks with my parents down in Virginia. It's always nice to get out of the city, especially when Autumn greets my return. Those days in the northern South felt like the last of Summer, hot and sunny with frequent thunderstorms and the beautiful foggy mornings that follow them, abundant tomatoes and basil, perfect peaches, iced tea, sunbathing and swimming in the Maury River with friends, reading romance novels, falling asleep to the chirping of crickets- I could go on, but I'll spare you.




While I feel like I didn't do much while I was home, that's not true. I went horseback riding almost every day. I went to the farmer's market, visited and photographed the local slaughterhouse/butcher and a family friend's dairy farm and cheesemaking operation (more on those two later), helped my father in the garden, and made a ton of egg salad. I probably made 4 or 5 batches of it, maybe more. My father had a habit of finishing it off if it was more than a day old, so the batches did not last long.



This egg salad was what sparked the idea of a food blog in my head, before you and I even started talking about it. My good friend Julie had come over for lunch and I made it, an easy meal and a treat as Jeff does not like eggs in any overt form. She loved it, asked for the recipe, and told me I should write a cookbook. Clearly, you don't just write a cookbook, with everything that's involved, but a food blog seemed doable.

The recipe I gave Julie was very vague, you know, some of this, some of that. The first time I made egg salad, who knows how long ago, I looked in several cookbooks, determined the basics, added what I thought would taste even better, and have been making some version of that since. I've written down exact measurements for you as a starting point, but the variations seem endless.


Of course I start with perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs; too little time and the yolk does not crumble, too much and the white is rubbery and the yolk an unappetizing greenish gray. Of course it all gets blended up, but if you know how to do it the right way, why not?



Then I crumble the yolks, and mix with chopped shallot, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar or lemon, and olive oil. The whites go in next, then fresh herbs. Last, I usually stir in a pickle of some kind, and add salt and pepper. And here's how it should taste: creamy, but not too rich due to the lemon and pickles; light, because of the olive oil; flavorful with mustard, shallot, and bright chopped herbs; a sum of its parts but not a monotonous mush, as its deli-case step-sibling would lead you to believe.


When I was home I used chives, basil, and chopped cornichons, but most French or Italian light herbs (e.g., tarragon, basil, sorrel, dill, chives, parsley; not rosemary, sage, or lavender) will work, as will red onion, and other pickled vegetables (beets--though they will turn the salad magenta if you use the red variety--and onion are both good) instead of cucumber pickles. In the winter, dried dill, herbes de Provence, and paprika can all be used for a little flavor. I used standard grocery store mayonnaise, and tried out a fancy whole-grain beer mustard my parents had, which was delicious. I should really make my own mayo, but this is usually something I throw together to have for lunches and I want it to be as easy as possible, but tasty enough to look forward to.

So, when you get homesick, make yourself some iced tea, go buy some of those beautiful Spanish eggs, and make yourself some egg salad sandwiches. They miss you, too.

Egg Salad

Remember when I told you that I wrote the recipe down for you? I did, I swear. But it seems to have gone missing. If I had to guess, I'd say my father probably "cleaned it up" after I left, not knowing what it was. And then, then, I wrote it out here, only to have it erased by Blogger!

So here's the deal: I don't have the exact measurements for you. But this is a recipe that lends itself well to approximation; there are so many different kinds of mustard, mayo, pickles, and herbs you can use, and each will mix differently with the others. So I'll give you the measurements as I remember them, but start with less and add more. Let your taste buds be your guide. I know some people prefer to always have a recipe- for those people, let this be an experiment, a lesson in trusting your senses.

Another note- lots of people, when served this egg salad, have called it "deviled eggs." I always thought those were when the yolk was mixed up with similar additions and added back to the halved whites, but maybe there's some naming overlap?

6 eggs, cold
shallot
mayonnaise
mustard
vinegar or lemon (light vinegar in color, so that the salad does not turn brownish- you don't want to use balsamic)
olive oil
pickles
fresh herbs (see above for ideas)

Bring an almost full, medium-large pot to a boil. I like to put a steamer basket inside, to elevate the eggs and allow the water to flow all around them. It also keeps them from knocking into each other. Add eggs. Bring water back to a low simmer, and turn down the burner to maintain this. You don't want to cook the eggs at a full boil; it makes the white rubbery and discolors the yolks. (note- even if properly cooked, storing the eggs in the refrigerator seems to also turn yolks gray) Set a timer for 12 minutes for large eggs. (I'd go a minute either direction for medium or extra-large, but since I don't usually buy these, that's just a guess.)

Meanwhile, finely chop the shallot and put in a medium bowl (large enough to mix the salad) with 1t of the vinegar or lemon juice. Letting it sit for a few minutes like this mellows the raw shallot, and is also a good practice when making salad dressing. Chop the herbs.

Chill eggs in ice water, or cold running water. I like to drain the pot, roll the eggs around to crack the shells, and run cold water in. This both cools them faster and makes them easier to peel. Peel, chop in half, and deposit yolks in the bowl. Mash with shallot and vinegar. I like to use a pastry cutter- it works perfectly. Add 1-2t mustard, 2-4T mayonnaise, and a dash of olive oil.
Mix all well. Chop whites and add, mixing and mashing with the pastry cutter or a large fork (a whisk might work too, or a potato masher). Add herbs and pickles and mix to combine. Taste. If too bland, add more mustard and/or herbs. If too creamy, add more pickle or vinegar. If too acid, add more oil or mayonnaise. You want this thick enough to stay put in a sandwich or on toast (this is how I prefer to eat it).

Enjoy!