Lemony deviled eggs
Instructions:
- Place the eggs in a single layer in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water begins to boil, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes.
- Immediately pour off the hot water, fill the pan with cold water, add a handful of ice cubes, and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel the eggs and cut inhalf lengthwise. Remove the yolks and use a spatula or your fingertips to rub them through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise and butter; mix gently until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and mustard. Season with salt and white pepper. The flavors dull slightly when the eggs are chilled, so be a little bold with the seasoning.
- Spoon or pipe the filling into the egg whites, sprinkle with paprika, and chill until ready to serve.
- Tips and techniques. Boiled eggs aren’t actually boiled. The secret to hard-cooked eggs that are not rubbery and have no green ring around the yolk is to cook them gently in very hot water rather than let them bounce around at a rolling boil. Eggs that are at least one week old are more likely to peel easily and cleanly. As the eggs age, their liquid interior evaporates enough to create a wee bit of air space between the egg and the shell. An old-fashioned way to determine the freshness of an egg is submerge a whole uncooked egg in a bowl of water. If it lies flat on its side on the bottom of the bowl, it’s fresh. If it stands upright, it’s a little older and a good candidate for hard cooking. If it floats, it’s a very old egg and should be discarded.