Devilish Beet Pickled Eggs

These ravishing beauties are worth the effort. While deviled eggs have long been a staple of the season, these bright snacks are something special, with an added piquancy from the vinegar, balanced by the mild sweetness and salt in the brine. And the color! A deep, rich magenta, which, sadly or gladly, depending on your tastes, does not impart any beet flavor to the eggs. Play with the infusion times; even 2 hours will give you a lovely pink color to the outside of the egg, but a bit more time will allow that luscious color to bleed slowly into the center of the egg, like a drop of watercolor paint that spreads gracefully across an egg-white page. An overnight infusion will give you color all the way to the center; a two-day soak will yield the sharpest pickle flavor in the egg.

Directions

Hard boil the eggs (or perhaps you will soon have an abundance of hard-boiled eggs?) Tip: jostle the eggs now and then as you are cooking them, so that the yolks do not settle to one side or another, but rest in the center of the egg. Peel the eggs under running water.

Peel the beets and slice them into 1/4” slices, then quarter the slices. Red beets work best for giving the brightest color; yellow beets make a soft golden hue that is less intense. For a brighter gold, use 1’ of grated fresh turmeric to the beet mixture.
In a medium saucepan, pour the water and vinegar over the beets. Add sugar and salt.

Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar, then simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes or until beets are tender.
Remove the beets from heat and allow to cool. Remove the pickled beets from the liquid; they will have lost some but not nearly all of their color, and can be used in salads.
When the beet liquid has cooled, place the eggs in a large container, and pour the beet liquid over them. Allow the beets to infuse in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, and up to 2 days. A 2-hour infusion will stain the outsides but not the insides of the beet; 2 days will turn even the yolks pinkish. A happy medium is near to 6 hours, where the centers and yolks are still white but the color has bled into the whites.
Remove the eggs from the beet brine. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, and gently pop the yolks out of the middle, into a small mixing bowl.
Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, salt and black pepper, and mash the mixture with a fork until it acquires a creamy consistency.
Scoop the filling into the center of each egg, mounding it up.
Prepare the toppings to garnish the top of each egg; these are a place to get truly creative. Here, we are using capers, finely chopped snow peas, calendula and borage blossoms, chopped red pepper, chives, parsley, smoked paprika, and dill; just one or two of these ingredients per egg is ideal. But there are so many other beautiful topping options! Consider cucumber, zucchini or pepper relish, smoked salmon, bacon bits, or black olives, just to name a few.
Arrange the stuffed eggs on a platter with other seasonal finger foods; carrots, radish, peas and the like.
Enjoy!

Over to You

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