Deviled Eggs

This super budget-friendly appetizer is easy to make and fits in well for get togethers and occassions. I've made several batches of these in the last couple months, once for a big dinner we hosted for Easter and another time for a Partylite party at a friend's from school. Both times they went over really well, and were gone in a flash. Good to make more than you think you'll need. 

 Start by boiling your eggs. I used an entire box, which in Finland is 10 eggs (not a full dozen- I still haven't quite accepted that). Everyone has different methods. I have adopted a method for this to avoid over cooking. That it, place the eggs in a really large pan so that all of the eggs are distributed equally, cover with water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, but as soon as a boil has been reached, turn off the stove and cover pot with a lid and let sit for 8 minutes. With an electric stove, I even take the pot off the burner, since the range is still hot even having turned it off.

Then, in order to facilitate the shelling process, I rinse them straight away in cold water, then let them sit in cold water for a few minutes (don't want to burn my fingers.) Finally, I deshell all of the eggs and carefull cut them in halves lengthwise. I put them in a serving dish as seen on the left. 

Place the yolks into a large bowl and add equal parts of mayonaise, sour cream (creme fraiche) and then a little pickle relish, cream cheese, and mustard to taste. Stir and mash together as you go and you will see if you need to add more to soften the mixture. This will depend a lot on your own preferences, as well as the consistency of the yolk after you've boiled the eggs.

Once the filling mixture has been mashed and mixed and tastes to your preference (this recipe is really loose because everyone like them a different way), scoop the mixture into a clean bag with a pointed end. Cut off a small tip of the corner of the bag, just enough to pipe the filling neatly into your egg white halves. (Note: You can skip this step all together if you'd rather just spoon the mixture into the egg whites, but it will be considerably messier.)

Then, you will squeeze the mixture into the egg white halves for the final product. Easy. I like to dust mine with paprika the way my mom always did it, to add a little color. And there you have it. The whole process takes less than half an hour, and costs less than 3 euro to make, so cheap fast and easy. Enjoy.