Eggs Jeannette

I've always been a huge admirer of Jacques Pépin, and I fell in love with this recipe of his mother's. According to his auto-biography The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen, this was one of his family's favorites. They ate it often during the heavy rationing period of  World War II, and you will immediately know why upon devouring it. It is very simple, yet incredibly rich and filling, and inexpensive to prepare. 

The recipe originally calls for parsley, yet I used dill since my husband and I adore it. Since it is more potent than parsley, I've reduced the 2 tbsp of the herb to 1. Believe me, it is more than enough and creates more than a subtle change in flavor from the original recipe. 

You may be tempted to eat more than the recommended serving of 3 or 4 halves of of an egg, yet I forewarn you not to succumb. The most I've eaten in one sitting is 6, and at the time and immediately after it seemed a wonderful idea... but it is very rich, and you will most likely be visited by the demons of indigestion. None the less, serving this with a salad for quick lunch, or some of your favorite crusty bread as a first course is an inexpensive and very elegant way to enjoy the blissfully simple hard boiled egg.

INGREDIENTS

6 large or extra large eggs
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 - 3 tbsp whole milk
heavy pinch of kosher salt
several turns of coarsley cracked fresh black pepper
2 tbsp canola oil

dressing:

2 - 3 tbsp leftover egg stuffing (from above)
4 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp water
pinch of salt and pepper

 Carefully place the eggs into a shallow sauce pan and cover with cold water. Place on stove over high heat until water comes to a gentle boil. Turn heat down to medium and let simmer for 8 - 10 minutes (depending on size of eggs).

Remove eggs from pan and place in a bowl of ice water and let cool for at least 15 minutes.

Peel and halve the eggs, placing the yolks into a medium glass bowl. Add the garlic, dill, whole milk, salt and pepper. Mash with a fork till relatively smooth. Remove 2 - 3 tbsp of stuffing and place in a separate glass bowl and set aside.

Fill the hollowed eggs with the stuffing and smooth the filling so it is even with the egg.

Heat a couple tbsp of canola oil over medium in a heavy pan. Place eggs yolk side down in pan and let cook till bottoms are golden brown, about 4 - 6 minutes. Carefully remove and place on a paper towel lined plate.



Add extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard, water, and salt and pepper to the set aside stuffing. Whisk well.

Arrange the eggs into desired portions and spoon over dressing. Serve warm.

This recipe can be found in The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pépin. This is a wonderful book, and has some brilliant recipes.