Editor’s Note: We are delighted to welcome back Linda Ahnert of Old Lyme, who writes an occasional column for LymeLine. She is a friend and colleague from the former ‘Main Street News,’ (do you remember that fine publication?) and today shares this topical, mouth-watering piece with readers.
Do you remember Easter 2020? Perhaps it was one you might like to forget We were in the early stages of the pandemic and everyone was “sheltering in place.” Easter was the first holiday that was affected by the onset of COVID-19, and we were learning how to Zoom since families couldn’t physically be all together.
My niece had to explain to Stella (my grand-niece, who was then eight years old) that the family would not be gathering at Aunt Linda’s house for the usual Easter festivities. Stella’s response was, “What about the deviled eggs?” Nothing about missing the egg hunt, which we always have in the yard, or the chocolate bunnies in the candy dish! What really concerned Stella were the deviled eggs I always serve as one of the Easter hors d’oeuvres.
I emailed my recipe to my niece and she soon sent me a photo of a lovely platter of deviled eggs that she and Stella had made. And over the ensuing weeks, I received recipe requests from other family members—for blueberry coffee cake, German potato salad … Even Stella’s dad asked me to send the recipe for the cheesecake that I often bake for holiday meals.
Of course, I was delighted that the younger family members were in the kitchen and learning about the joy of cooking. I am not a fancy-schmancy gourmet cook. But I do love to cook and so enjoy putting a good meal on the table for family and friends.
As Laurie Colwin, one of my favorite food writers, expressed it: “The table is a meeting place, a gathering ground, the source of maintenance and nourishment, festivity, safety, and satisfaction. A person cooking is a person giving. Even the simplest food is a gift.”
Here is the very simple recipe for deviled eggs, which are simply delicious. It is from a Williams Sonoma catalog:
DEVILED EGGS
8 hard-boiled eggs
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (or other fresh herbs)
Shell the eggs and slice them in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and mash them with mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper to taste until smoothly blended. Spoon in (or pipe) equal amounts into the hollow of each egg white. Sprinkle with fresh herbs. Serves 8.
Note: I sprinkle the eggs with fresh chives. Some people like to dust the eggs with paprika. The original recipe suggests that, instead of fresh herbs, you could top the eggs with caviar, capers, olives, or watercress … but I think simple is best!