Perhaps you, like Etiquetteer, are feeling anxious about Election Day tomorrow. In which case, a frothy distraction can be whipped up out of a hearty hors d’oeuvre. Because November 2 is National Deviled Egg Day. Why not be reminded about the Perfectly Proper service of a party food too labor intensive to enjoy at home alone during the pandemic?
Deviled eggs feel like they’ve been around forever. They’re so popular for home parties that in the United States there are special deviled egg plates and trays to keep the pesky things from sliding all over the place. For those who have yet to discover the pleasure, deviled eggs are hard-boiled eggs that have been sliced in half and the yolks removed, mashed fine, and mixed with mayonnaise and other things. This mixture is then carefully spooned back into the yolk hollows in the egg whites. Often they are sprinkled with paprika or (much more rarely) a green herb like dill. For true luxury, top with red caviar.
Now Etiquetteer is just not going to be tricked into taking sides among those who champion one particular recipe or ingredient over another. Whether your deviled eggs do or don’t contain Miracle Whip, pickle relish (sweet or tart), paprika, or dijon mustard, Etiquetteer cares not. All deviled eggs are Perfectly Proper. Can’t we all just get along?
Creating a Perfectly Proper deviled egg is much more about preparation and presentation. First, you really have to be skilled at boiling eggs, which means not leaving them in the pot so long they become melded to the shell. Then you have to be skilled at peeling the eggs, which means not gouging out bits with your fingernails or allowing part of the white to come away with the shell. You don’t want them to look leprous. The whites must be filled very carefully with the yolk mixture, avoiding any stray blobs onto the white. (Some cooks use pastry tubes for this operation.) Don’t overfill the egg cavity, either; it could result in an Hors d’Ouevre Malfunction.
Years ago Etiquetteer would attempt deviled eggs annually for a large party, but finally had to give it up for all the malfunctions in the previous paragraph. It’s one thing to commit to eating the errors in the kitchen, another when the errors actually fill the platter and you have nothing to offer guests but white wine, celery, and indigestion. If you decide to indulge in a tray of deviled eggs for your Election Night home cocktail hour, Etiquetteer wishes you joy in their preparation and consumption. And don’t forget the cocktail napkins.