Eggs and bacon go together like…well, bacon and eggs!  These are really the basic recipe for deviled eggs.  The garnish is up to you, but we like bacon, a sprinkle of fresh snipped chives and tonight, a thin slice of a cherry tomato.  The Latin Lover will be happy, as he loves deviled eggs.  First, you’ll need to hard-boil the eggs.  When I make deviled eggs, particularly for a cocktail party, I prefer to use medium or small eggs.  They are simply more manageable to eat, being one or two bites.  I always have the eggs at room temperature before I begin, as they are less likely to crack when they boil.  I use a very heavy pot, place the eggs in the pot and cover them with cold tap water.  You’ll want to cover the eggs by at least 1-inch.  I bring the water to the boil and when it boils, I set the timer for 8 minutes for medium eggs.  When the timer goes off, I drain the eggs.  Then, I just barely cover them with cold water and throw about 1-2 cups of ice on top.  I let the eggs sit for about 2 minutes.  Using a teaspoon, I tap the eggs until they’re completely cracked and return them to the ice water as I crack them.  I let them sit in the ice water, for about 6-8 minutes, or until they’re completely cool.  Drain the water, and slip the peel off of the eggs.  I usually let the peeled eggs rest on some paper toweling (as in the picture above) and drain for a few minutes.  Now, we’re ready to devil the eggs.  I cut them in half, drop the yolks out of the whites onto a plate; I return the empty egg whites to the paper toweling (this also keeps them from sliding around the plate).  There are a ton of ways to proceed from here; this is how I do it…it’s an homage to my mother.  She simply mashed the yolks with a fork.  By the way, don’t use a silver fork, as the sulfur in the yolks can, and probably will, turn the silver dark.  I use a stainless steel fork.  I just mash away, then add the mayo, ball park mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, onion granules, smoked paprika, freshly ground black pepper and salt.

Using the fork, I just keep folding and mixing everything together until this filling is One with each other!  When you add the salt, it’s going to seem like too much.  Since the yolks weren’t quite as yellow as the orange orbs of the free-range chickens I grew up eating, I added a bit of turmeric (see the picture on the right).  Be judicious, as a little goes a very long way (and it stains like crazy).  In general, eggs require quite a bit of salt.  When you taste the mixture (and you really need to), it should taste just a bit too salty.  That’s perfect.

I fill the halved whites using an off-set spreader, but if you really want to prettiest Deviled Eggs, use a pastry bag with a star tip (or cut the corner from a plastic bag, slip in the tip and squeeze away!).  The filled eggs need to rest, at least 1 hour.  I have a couple of pictures of the ungarnished, filled-eggs, but they look ghoulish, so I’m not sharing them with you.  To continue, I loosely drape a piece of plastic wrap over them and into the fridge with they go.  During this little rest, the salt will redistribute itself and the eggs will be just perfect.  I promise.

A few things to think about and an all-around recap—I use ball park mustard, as I think the flavor is better, but use Dijon, if you prefer.  I use an off-set spreader to fill the whites.  I use about 2 teaspoons of the yolk mixture per half.  I usually put the eggs on a double thickness of paper toweling, just to absorb any water and slipping around on the plate.  If the yolks are pale, I add a little tiny pinch of turmeric.  But, be very judicious, as the turmeric can over color them!

As I mentioned, this is the basic version I use.  You can have different flavored eggs, using the basic Heavenly Deviled Eggs, by simply garnishing the filled eggs with a sprig of fresh tarragon, basil or dillweed, slices of olives (pimento-stuffed or black), slices of pickled jalapeño peppers, anchovy fillets…or a slice of cherry tomato and a bacon top hat!

That’s all there is to it.  I must confess however, I love the idea of that little square of bacon on top, and it works relatively well if you use really thinly sliced bacon and eat each half in one bite, which is not very lady-like.  But, sometimes we need to make sacrifices for good food.  The next time around, I found these worked even better, when I sprinkled some crumbled bacon over them and then, placed a slice of tomato on top…Deviled Eggs with a Tomato Top Hat, anyone???