International Party Eggs
by Julie Peasley

This recipe is good because you probably already have many of the ingredients in your kitchen. Like little bites of sushi, each egg is an individual creation, limited only by your own artistic creativity. Fresh herbs are best, but dried will work. I like to use contrasting colors - orange carrots, red peppers, green olives. Hell, go pick some purple flowers and add those! Anything goes with Party Eggs. And oh yeah, some people call them Deviled Eggs, but I think these gourmet guys are more playboy, less trailer.

8 hardboiled organic brown eggs
bowl of ice water
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1.5 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
paprika

Optional toppings:
Use your own variety of toppings from list below (all veggies and lox should be sliced into very small bits).
- pine nuts
- pesto sauce
- carrot shavings
- scallions
- crushed garlic
- pickle relish
- thinly sliced tomato
- steamed asparagus tips
- red pepper sliced ultra-thin or roasted
- red onion
- garbanzo beans (from a can, drained)
- black, kalamata and green olives, sliced longwise, thinly
- cornichons, sliced in circles
- roasted green chile, diced (fresh or from a can)
- salsa or pico de gallo
- lox
- red caviar
- sprigs of fresh dill, oregano, basil, thyme
- crushed black pepper
- cilantro
- cumin
- dried parsley
- a few saffron stems

Place eggs in a large pot and cover with 1.5" of cold water. Cover halfway and bring to a rolling boil. When boil is acheived, lower heat and cover for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes. With tongs, gingerly place eggs into a bowl of ice water and let sit for 5 minutes. Peel eggs and slice each in half. Remove yolks to a medium sized bowl. Mask yolks with a potato masher or fork. Mix in mayonnaise and mustard. Stir and whip until smooth. Sprinkle in cayenne to taste. At this point in the recipe, refrain from devouring the entire yolk mixture. The hardest part of making International Party Eggs is trying not to eat it all right then and there.

Once mixed, spoon out 1/4 cup of the mixture to a separate, smaller bowl. This is going to be your curry mixture. Add the curry powder until well mixed. With a small spoon, drop dollops of the curry mixture into 4 of the naked eggs. Keep track of those four. Continue with the rest of the mixture until all the naked eggs
are full. Top with a variety of condiments. It's fun to make eggs of different nationalities, but there are no rules. With the exception of the pesto eggs, top all
with paprika because it adds color.

Some suggestions:
• Greek Egg: oil-cured olives + briny green olives
• Mexican Egg: salsa + green chile + cumin + cilantro
• Italian Egg: pesto sauce + 4 pine nuts + scallion
• Middle Eastern Egg: garbanzo bean + garlic + black olive + roasted red pepper
• French Egg: dill + thyme + cornishon + carrot
• American Egg: pickle relish + black olive + red onion
• Jewish Egg: lox + dill + red onion
• Indian Egg: curry + scallion + garlic

Serve immediately. Keep covered in fridge for up to 3 days.
Makes 4 curry eggs + 12 others for a total of 16 party eggs.