Devilled Eggs

These vegetarian, SP-friendly Devilled Eggs hors d'oeuvres are tasty, easy to make party-food staples that you can enjoy without worrying during any festive celebration. Channel your inner Fanny Cradock with this retro classic and impress your guests this Christmas.

I don't know about anyone else, but right now, I could really do with a few recipes to keep in mind for when I want to join in the celebrations without going totally off-piste when it comes to the eating plan. I was looking for something that I could make for a gathering that would work well alongside festive fizz and give me an option to tuck into alongside the usual buffet fayre. When I saw Nigella make her devilled eggs on her Christmas special, I found myself wondering how I could make it more healthily and this recipe was created. This version contains just 1 syn for the whole batch, so you would only count the syns if you ate 8 portions (halves of egg) or more.

Elizabeth David advises that hors d'oevres should be "around 2 bites at the most" and these certainly fit the bill on that count - you could even make them bite-size using quail's eggs if you are feeling particularly fancy! The piping and chives may seem a bit fiddly but for a one-off treat it is worth a bit of hassle - make Fanny proud!

These work really well alongside pickles and crudites on a party table but even better with a gin and slimline tonic - remembering that recent research here practically makes gin a diet aid! Haha! I've infused my own Cranberry and Orange Gin to give as gifts this year - but it remains to be seen how many will last until it is time to hand them over.

These last well overnight in the fridge and look pretty arranged on a bed of rocket or on a retro chrome platter.

As with all recipes and meal plans on the blog I have highlighted the protein sources (P foods) in red, the speed (S) foods in green, healthy extra allowances in blue and syns, with syn values in brackets in orange. 


Devilled Eggs

Makes 16 portions - syn free each (1 syn for whole batch) 

8 medium eggs 
2 tbsp quark
2 tsp wholegrain mustard - 1 syn total 
1 tsp smoked paprika
Drops of tabasco (to taste)
Handful of chive stalks
Finely ground salt

Place the eggs in a saucepan that comfortably fits them all with space for them to move whilst boiling without bashing into each other too much.

Cover with cold water - so that the eggs are at least 1 cm under water.

Bring to the boil - once the water is at a steady boil put on a timer for 7 minutes.

At 7 mins, immediately put the pan in the sink and run the cold tap into the pan and over the eggs for a full minute. It is essential you do this to avoid any 'grey' rims inside the eggs which would spoil the look of this dish considerably.

Once they've had cold water run on them for a minute, leave them in the cold water for a further 20 mins then transfer to a cool place to fully chill. This won't work if the eggs are even slightly warm.

Once they are cooled through, gently knock the eggs on a hard surface to break the tension of the shell and then gently roll over the surface to crackle the shell all over and then gently peel it from the egg. Take your time to do this carefully so you have a nice smooth finish to the egg white.

On a board carefully cut the eggs in half, lengthwise, carefully levering the yolk from each half into a large bowl until you have a bowl of yolks and a place of hollowed out egg whites.

With a sturdy fork, mash the yolks down a little then add 2 tsp of the quark, the mustard, 2 drops of tabasco, the paprika 1 tsp of water and the salt. Mash together further still, beating as you go as a smooth mixture begins to form.

Once it is blended together, using the fork, give the mixture a good beating to get it to be a lighter, airy texture - you can use a hand-blender or electric whisk at this point if you wish.

If the mixture still seems quite stiff, add some water a little at a time and beat well. It should be the consistency of whipped double cream.

Taste the mixture and if you think it needs a little more heat, add more tabasco.

Set up a piping bag with a star nozzle (I rarely use piping bags so just bought a pack of disposable bags with nozzles from Tesco here) Load the mixture into the bottom of the bag, holding it over the mixing bowl in case any mixture comes out of the nozzle prematurely.

Carefully pipe the mixture into the hollowed out egg whites carefully, forming little star-bursts with the nozzle. Don't worry if they go wonky - you can pipe a little more on top of an mistakes.

Finally, take 2 strands of chives at a time, and carefully tie into a knot. Trim the ends of the chives from the knots to form these little bows and place one on top of each egg.

Et voila! You are a retro cocktail-party hero. Chin, chin!