You know, I spent a long time thinking that I just didn’t make very good deviled eggs.  Every  now and again I’d make up a batch to take to a gathering and… they’d just sit there.  But I liked my recipe, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what I was doing wrong.  Turns out, I was just cooking for the wrong crowd.  I made a batch for a party recently, and they lasted a grand total of ten minutes.  Which was about how long it took for the pan to circulate around the room.

Well, all right then.

The goods:

1 dozen eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and split in half.

mayonnaise, a couple tablespoons

pickle juice (no, seriously, get yourself a jar of sweet gherkins and use the juice. I should mention that you should absolutely use sweet pickle juice. Not sour.)

salt, pepper, paprika, ground mustard

lemon juice (optional)

The method:

– Gently fish the yolks out of your eggs and place them in a bowl.  Arrange your egg whites on a nice platter.

– Mash the yolks.  Add a little mayo (I seriously have never measured this, sorry.  Go with a little and add more if it looks to chunky/dry).  Keep mashing.  Drizzle in some pickle juice (not more than a spoonful, a little goes a long way).  Continue until your yolks are nice and smooth

– Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch or two of ground mustard.  Don’t go overboard, you want to be able to taste the sweet brininess of the pickle juice.  Add a drop or two of lemon juice if you want some more zing.

– Spoon or pipe your egg mixture back into the whites.  Sprinkle tops with paprika (this is purely decorative)

Enjoy!