Just in time for making Easter eggs: How to cook perfect hard-boiled eggs, then dye in beet juice to create stunning ruby-colored 'whites' with yellow centers.
Oh so Easter-basket pretty! And yet ever so simple, just hard-boiled eggs soaked overnight in beet juice. Don't worry, soaking transfers beet color, not beet flavor.
Cooking eggs should be simple. As simple as they turn out, hard-boiled eggs are tricky to cook. They can turn out too soft or too hard or ringed with green or impossible to peel. For each problem, someone supplies a list of solutions. No more.
I clipped this "perfect hard-boiled eggs every time" recipe so long ago there's no memory of its source. But this technique (a recipe for hard-cooked eggs? I suppose it's that!) creates perfect hard-boil eggs. Every time. With both fresh eggs (which are said to be still tricker) and older eggs. The trick is to live by the clock for precision timing is the key.
EASTER RECIPES from the ARCHIVES
Isn't this hard-boiled egg recipe perfect for Easter? Other Easter recipes that might tickle your fancy from my food column Kitchen Parade:
~ Hot Cross Buns, traditional during all of Easter but especially on Good Friday ~
~ Asparagus Custard Tart, perfect for brunch, impressive-looking but oh-so-easy ~
~ Lemon Pots, simple lemon custard tucked into egg shells ~
~ more Easter recipes ~
Isn't this hard-boiled egg recipe perfect for Easter? Other Easter recipes that might tickle your fancy from my food column Kitchen Parade:
~ Hot Cross Buns, traditional during all of Easter but especially on Good Friday ~
~ Asparagus Custard Tart, perfect for brunch, impressive-looking but oh-so-easy ~
~ Lemon Pots, simple lemon custard tucked into egg shells ~
~ more Easter recipes ~
PERFECT HARD-BOILED RUBY EGGS
Place 6 eggs (or as many as will fit) in a single layer in a saucepan. Cover with water plus an inch. Bring the water to boil on HIGH. (Here, I set the timer for 5 minutes and carry on with whatever I'm doing so long as it's within hearing of the timer. The water won't be boiling when the timer goes off but is close to boiling so I hang close and pay close attention.) Prepare the ice bath. This is 2 - 3 cups of ice cubes in a large bowl, filled with cold water but leaving room for the eggs. Just as the water begins to boil, let it boil hard for 1 minute -- set the timer! Turn off the heat (remove from the element if it's an electric stove) but do not drain. Cover the saucepan and let sit for 10 minutes -- set the timer! Drain the eggs and gently lower them into the ice bath. Let set 5 minutes -- set the timer! Peel. For ruby eggs: soak the peeled eggs in a bowl of canned beet juice for 24 hours. Use up the beets themselves with easy and handy refrigerator pickles called Swedish Beets or the delicious Secret-Ingredient Wine & Fruit Salad.KITCHEN TIPS
The beet color starts to leech into the yolk a couple of hours after slicing so time accordingly. And because the eggs are peeled, they won't last forever like hard-cooked eggs still in their shells. I'd plan to use within 48 hours.CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE
(for the ruby beets only) Vegetarian Celebrations
by Nava Atlas(c) Copyright 2006 Kitchen Parade
Comments:
I use Deborah Madison's hard-boiled egg recipe (bring the eggs to a boil in water for 1 minute, turn off heat and cover for 6 minutes, then plunge in cold water to stop the cooking.) There's so many ways to cook a hard-boiled egg, aren't there?
VH Melville
Alanna, thank you for leaving a comment on my blog! It's always nice when someone's actually been to Finland - it's not the most common destination :) As it happens, I've been to St Louis twice, but it was for a conference so I didn't see much. I remember it was VERY hot and humid, though!
Karin -- It must have been July or August when you visited, too bad! The spring, the fall and some of the summer (usually a week a month where no a/c is needed) are wonderful. I'm 'northern' by soul so think the winters are wimpy: no snow to count.
If I thought I could get Matt to eat them, I'd consider making them myself. But a whole jar filled with pickled eggs, and just me? Probably not such a hot idea!
But yours look lovely.
Madeleine Kamman uses a boiled egg shelling technique I find works very well with any of the myriad hard boiling recipes.
She taps the egg all round its center on an edge-like a sink or table edge, and carefully peels off a band of shell from the circumference. The top and bottom of the shell slide right off!
What fun to get so many comments on hard boiled eggs!!
PS I so wish I could work on you with beet flavor. :-) Come visit!
Here's what works for me (at 7400'):
Place eggs in a single layer in pan.
Just cover with water.
Bring to a boil.
Let boil for 5 minutes, uncovered.
Turn off heat and remove pan from heat. Cover.
Allow to cool to room temperature before putting the eggs in the fridge.
If anyone has any alternative suggestions, please let me know!
We usually pierce the wide end of the egg before boiling it - to prevent the shell from cracking. I wonder what would happen if the eggs were cooked in boiling beet juiced water! There might be a beautiful hint of red that would be on the bottom part of the peeled egg. And the shell would be that stunning red colour...
Ooooh, I wonder if you could achieve something similar with red cabbage and get that amazing blue colour.
-Elizabeth
P.S. I'm with you. I adore beets... I just made beets and turnip with fennel and mustard seeds to go with Indian food last night. Before making them, my husband said he didn't want any. I made lots anyway. He tasted them and demanded more. Yay!
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