Madhu Knits and Cooks

Narrowing in on a Winning Deviled Egg Recipe - NYT "Classic" Approach

I'm so happy I am now inclined to finish up my expired eggs instead of sadly throwing them out en masse.  The mass egg preparation approach that has become my go-to is deviled eggs, which I made this summer for a party appetizer.  After experimenting with a few past recipes with varying success, I decided to try another new approach to narrow in on a winning consistent recipe.  

This NYT recipe featured dijon mustard to offset the mayonnaise - which generally is not to my liking in deviled eggs - and some dashes of Tabasco and chives for additional flavor.  Following some recommendations in the comments, and to further reduce the flavor of mayonnaise, I made a few modifications - added a dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce, reduced the mayonnaise to 2 tbsp., and added 1/2 tbsp. of softened butter.  I also forgot to buy chives at the store, so inadvertently omitted those.

The final result was good, but not outstanding,  The flavor was subtle, certainly "classic," with not too much mayonnaise thankfully.  I think adding the chives and perhaps increasing the dijon will help punch these up a bit more.  

That being said, as prepared, these were a hit at the party I brought them to and I should have made more!

A Dorie Greenspan Hit and a Miss - Vanilla Sugar Cookies and Togarishi Meringues

While browsing the library stacks, my eyes caught Dorie Greenspan's massive "cookie book" Dorie's Cookies, and on a whim, I decided to check it out (largely because I parked my car nearby). 

I've made Greenspan's World Peace Cookies before, but have yet to make any other of this famed cookie creator's recipes.  When flipping through her book, I decided to make two different recipes - one that used egg whites and the other conveniently the leftover egg yolks.  A great low-waste approach to try new cookies!

The first recipe - the Togarishi Meringues - sounded a bit wild to be honest.  Using a spicy and largely savory Japanese spicy blend in meringues?!  Even typing these words together still seems wild to me!

I used 1 tsp. of the mixture from an expired blend a friend bought for us on a trip to Japan.  Even though the mix was expired, just one 1 tsp. did pack quite a punch on these tiny meringues, which I think I piped too small.  In addition, I also spaced these meringues too close together AND prepared them on a pretty humid day, so they didn't quite dry out and were unpleasantly chewy and sticky.  I don't think these will be a recipe repeat, but I am happy I lived on the wild side by making them!

The second recipe I prepared - the French Vanilla Sables - were excellent, by comparison.  Incredibly buttery and smooth, slightly crisp, crumbly, and chewy in the middle, and a simple sweetness from the sanding sugars on top.  The vanilla flavor also shined through as well.  

I loved the fun king cake / Mardi Gras sanding sugar colors I used as well, and look forward to making these again and again!  They are a hit among both adults and kids alike, based on the event to which we brought them.

Pan-Fried Salt and Pepper Eggplant - Excellent Savory Flavors

Yes, another Hetty McKinnon To Asia, With Love recipe to report on today - the pan-fried Salt and Pepper Eggplant.  This simple, marinated eggplant is coated in cornstarch before being lightly pan-fried and dusted with a savory and sweet salt and pepper / five spice mix.

The complex flavors of the spice mix are a great complement to the sweet and sour eggplant, which is perfectly tender under its crisp cornstarch coating. 

I would make this recipe again, and continue to use less oil (I basically just lightly coated the pan instead of filling it to 1/2 inch). 

The only downside of this multi-step recipe is the number of dishes it uses (marinating eggplant, cornstarch mix, salt and pepper mix, paper towel-lined plate for the post-cooked eggplant) so it might not be an everyday dish!

Solid Classic Egg Salad

Egg salad, egg salad - how you have entered our lives!  Building on the success of my first homemade egg salad, I decided to try a more traditional, mayonnaise-based egg salad from the Cook's Illustrated team.   

This egg salad was pretty good - the eggs cooked better this time (less dry) and the inclusion of mayonnaise didn't result in too bland of a flavor.  Instead, the herb, red onion, and celery flavors came through pretty well.  I added some leftover tarragon to this recipe as well. 

And while the dijon mustard added a nice tang, I think a slash of champagne vinegar would have also helped add more diversity of flavors to this otherwise tasty egg salad.  I look forward to making this recipe again! 

Herby Irish Ale Bread - Full of Flavor, But Likely Not a Recipe Repeat

I'm not sure what drew me to this Milk Street Irish Ale Bread with Caraway and Herbs, but perhaps it was my recent bounty of dill? 

This recipe otherwise wouldn't be a draw unless perhaps I was preparing a brunch in which an entire flavored loaf would be likely to be consumed.  Generally our bread loaves get recycled into multiple uses - grilled cheese, toast, croutons - into which a highly flavored loaf won't easily convert.  

Unfortunately, this recipe didn't in turn convert me to a flavored bread enthusiast.  There were a lot of sweet, salty, and fresh flavors from the herbs, caraway seeds, honey, and beer, but I don't really know if they really came together into a compelling way.  Combined with a slightly stodgy texture,  this recipe will go into the "tried it" category. 

Eggs, Eggs, Eggs! Herbed Deviled Eggs - Likely Not a Recipe Repeat

Inspired by my deliciously herby egg salad, I decided to try some Herbed Deviled Eggs.  Unfortunately, as it turns out, chopped herbs aren't as wonderful in deviled eggs.

I found their texture to be displeasing in the otherwise smooth filling.  And unfortunately, I also found the mayonnaise in this recipe to be too overwhelming, and it also washed out the flavor of the herbs.  So not great texture and not great flavor. 

Granted, I didn't have sour cream on hand to cut the mayonnaise flavor, and I also didn't bring the eggs to a boil on high enough heat, so the yolks were also overcooked.  Combination of user error and a recipe that didn't match my tastes.  On to the next!

My First Egg Salad - Sans Mayonnaise, Slightly Tart, and Full of Herbs

I don't know if I had ever consumed egg salad prior to a few years ago.  Why?  I wasn't a big fan of cooked eggs growing up (hence 2018 for my first hard boiled eggs attempt), and I also have similarly never been a huge fan of mayonnaise.  So you can tell why egg salad hasn't been that appealing.

How did that change?  Well, ever so slowly, I have been trying egg salad sandwiches, largely because vegetarian sandwich options can sometimes be very limited.  This includes during a driving trip we took to Nova Scotia last summer.  As it turns out, limited options can lead to great discoveries, including a truly marvelous, herby egg salad sandwich at the Bread Gallery in West Hants, Nova Scotia.

While tasting that remarkable egg salad, not heavy on mayonnaise and very heavy on fresh herbs, I thought I was a full egg salad convert.  Sadly, in the months that followed, I largely ate mushy, bland, and too mayonnaise-filled egg salads.  So when I finally decided to make an egg salad at home, I searched for recipes that would be heavier on the herbs and light on the mayonnaise.

I was quite surprised to ultimately find an entirely mayonnaise-less, herb-heavy recipe on Milk Street.  Thankfully, the result was great - not quite what I remembered from the Bread Gallery, but very good with tarragon, chives, parsley, red onions, and ground turmeric.  And the best part - some light tartness from some champagne vinegar.  

Halving the recipe was great for 3 - 4 servings. The only modifications I would make moving forward are to chop the eggs a bit smaller than the recipe calls for and perhaps experiment with a bit of vegenaise for slightly more creaminess.  Otherwise, I loved that the eggs weren't pulverized into a mushy, dry paste like too many egg salad sandwiches and that the fresh herb flavors came through.

Ovenly's Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

For a short spell over the holidays, we adopted a fully vegan diet.  As longtime blog readers know, much of what I already cook is vegan so this wasn't too dramatic a change.  However, it did affect some of our standard at-home preparations, notably desserts.  

The only sweet snack I made during this vegan stint was Ovenly's great vegan chocolate chip cookies.  I've had this Brooklyn bakery's cookies in person, and they are truly wonderful.  A bit heavier and thicker than the chocolate chip cookies I generally prefer, but very moist and rich with sugary cookie flavor.

At home, these cookies turned out similarly though were softer and underbaked than what I've had compared to the bakery.  I baked the cookies for a few minutes longer than the recipe 12-13 minute baking time, but many were still very soft in the middle.  I did rotate the cookie sheets, and wonder if I should have used the convection setting?

Regardless, these were a solid thicker and moist cookie.  It's not generally my favored outcome for chocolate chip cookies (I like crisper cookies), but I will make these again if I want a vegan cookie!

Hetty McKinnon Obsession Continues - NYT Silken Tofu with Spicy Soy Dressing

As recent posts have shown, I've been on a true Hetty McKinnon kick the past few months.  The latest?  Not from one of her wonderful cookbooks, but instead a NYT Cooking recipe.  

I slightly freestyled this recipe for Silken Tofu with Spicy Soy Dressing because I was using a partial block of leftover silken tofu, but the result was really wonderful. 

Salty from the soy sauce, savory from the sesame oil, slightly sweet from the sugar and rice wine vinegar, spicy from the chile oil, and crunchy from the scallions - yum. 

A benefit of using a partial leftover block of silken tofu is that it had naturally drained in the fridge, making prep that much more of a cinch. 

The tofu I used had been out of the fridge for an hour or two, so slightly more room temperature than cold, which I liked a lot.  

My First Chia Pudding - Matcha Chia Pudding by Hetty McKinnon

I finally bought some chia seeds and made my first chia pudding, despite having rarely, if ever, eaten chia pudding before.

I think part of my hesitation of jumping on this health food favorite is my worry that the consistency may not be to my taste, similar to rice pudding.  I prefer smoother textures (e.g., smoothies or yogurts) to moist and dense grain-filled dishes. 

However, the pictures and description of Hetty McKinnon's matcha chia puddings in her To Asia, With Love cookbook were so delectable that I put my hesitations to the side and embarked on this (quite simple) journey.

I stirred together the ingredients, chilled the mixture, and as promised, the oat-milky mixture congealed and became a thicker pudding within a few hours.  The slightly bitter and herbal flavor of the matcha was quite pronounced in the pudding, but nicely offset by the sweet maple syrup. 

However, I ended up not eating the entire amount that I prepared because ultimately the textures were not to my taste.  I just don't enjoy  tiny, slightly mushy seeds working their way through my mouth sadly.    

I do have a whole package of chia seeds in my cupboards, so I'll need to try something with them again - any reader recommendations welcome!