I have to admit, I may have gone a little overboard with this recipe for red wine and blue cheese deviled eggs. It all started with my pickled beet deviled eggs. They came out so pretty–so yummy–I started experimenting with different colors and flavor combinations. That led to the idea of using red wine to color the eggs. And what goes better than red wine than good cheese?
–Chocolate comes to mind, but that would be pretty gross in an egg.
This recipe is easy to do and really eye catching on a serving platter. I used a mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon with a little juice to dye the eggs—which resulted in a subtle red wine and fruit flavor which pairs beautifully with the cheese. You could really take this up a notch by using more wine; just make sure it’s drinkable wine because it will influence the flavor of the eggs.
Red wine and blue cheese deviled eggs are definitely going to be on my entertaining short list from now on. They are great for conversation and so crazy delicious. Trust me on this one. They were our favorites out of 10 really good recipes I experimented with.
Red Wine & Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs
Tip: Adding a teaspoon of baking soda to the water when you are boiling the eggs helps them peel easier.
Ingredients
Method
Crack egg shells, and roll them gently on the counter. Carefully peel under running water and set aside.
In a high-sided food container, add peeled eggs, wine, juice, peppercorns and bay leaf. Refrigerate overnight. Remove and pat dry on paper towels. Cut in half with a sharp knife and pop the yolks into a bowl.
Mash yolks first. Then mash again with mayonnaise, blue cheese, vinegar, salt and pepper. Fill egg whites with yolk mixture and garnish with a sliver of fresh apple that has first been dipped in lemon juice (to prevent browning).
http://loveandduckfat.com/red-wine-blue-cheese-deviled-eggs-recipe/
Do you want even more elegant deviled egg recipes? Check out these:
It’s been a busy few weeks. I started working full time last week after being a stay-at-home mom with my son for over a year. I’m very grateful for having the opportunity to be home with my son; but also ready to get back to work. Carving out time to cook, photograph and post recipes on Love and Duck Fat will be difficult; but I’m determined to keep going in this labor of love.
Before I started my new job, I went on a little deviled egg bender; whipping up one new recipe after another in anticipation of having ZERO time. This recipe for pickled beet deviled eggs was one of our favorites. It’s easy to do and beats the heck out of the garishly bright food-colored deviled eggs I’ve been seeing on Pinterest lately. This is actually my SECOND batch because I can’t find the SD card with the original photos. They looked so beautiful I tried another color–using turmeric and onion skins to dye the peeled eggs a really pretty golden color.
The “deviled” bit in this recipe is a classic recipe. You get that delicious classic deviled egg taste wrapped up in a fun new package. Pickling the eggs overnight with spices, vinegar and garlic gives them a slight pickle flavor that works perfectly for a deviled egg recipe. Of course, you can pickle them longer for even more color, but overnight seems to be the perfect amount as it leaves the egg yolks nice and yellow.
The fresher the eggs, the harder they will be to peel, and since I used farm fresh eggs; I was worried they would be impossible to peel. To give me some help, I added a teaspoon of baking soda to the boiling water. Sure enough, all put one or two egg shells peeled easily. Don’t you love when kitchen tips work?
This deviled egg recipe makes 2 dozen eggs. You can fill the eggs with a piping bag like I did or just use a small spoon. For something in-between, just fill a sandwich bag with filling, close it tight, and then snip off the tip of the bag with scissors. You get an instant piping bag without any clean up.
Ingredients
Method
Beet mixture: In a medium saucepan, bring water, vinegar, beets, shallot, sugar, bay leaf, peppercorns, mustard seeds, garlic and cloves to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes on low heat. Cool completely.
Boil & Peel Eggs: Place eggs in the bottom of a large saucepan and cover with water so they are completely submerged. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to water. Heat until water comes to a gentle boil. Cover and turn heat to low. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let sit-covered-for 15 minutes. Rinse under cold water.
Crack egg shells, and roll them gently on the counter. Carefully peel under running water and set aside.
Add eggs to beet mixture and refrigerate at least 2 hours to overnight. Remove and pat dry on paper towels. Cut in half with a sharp knife and pop the yolks into a bowl.
Mash yolks first. Then mash again with mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt and cayenne pepper. Fill egg whites with yolk mixture and garnish with chives or parsley
Do you want even more elegant deviled egg recipes? Check out these:
I want to take a quick moment to share my gratitude this Easter for all I’ve been able to share through this little blog. Love and Duck Fat isn’t a year old yet; but it’s become a big part of my life. I’ve met some wonderful people and learned SO MUCH by showing up every week to share my recipes, family and the things I love.
Who would have thought people would actually show up to see into my little kitchen? I’m thrilled everyday when they do and it only inspires me to keep going.
This Easter marks a big change around here. I’m returning to work full time and will no longer be a stay-at-home mom to my son. Grayson. It’s a bittersweet time; making every moment even more precious.
This Easter Grayson shared his first Easter basket and egg hunt (if you could call eggs tossed in grass a “hunt”). He bit off his very first chocolate bunny ears and sucked on a Peep.
We had a lovely Easter breakfast with deviled eggs, honey ham, an asparagus & tomato salad and toast. There is a leg of lamb marinating for Easter dinner, waiting to be paired with creamy mashed potatoes and fresh peas.
It’s a wonderful day. And I’m grateful to share it.
I wish you a happy Easter full of family and love. Thank you for stopping by!
-Marni
P.S. If you missed it, check out our Easter baby photo shoot from last year.
When I think of traditional Easter recipes; lamb always comes to mind. For some reason (most likely my mother’s old Betty Crocker cookbook), I envision a vintage 1950’s table setting with a perfectly roasted leg of lamb, a side of bright green mint jelly and a jiggling aspic. This Easter lamb shanks recipe is a great way to feature lamb without a lot of fuss.
A leg of lamb can be daunting…and expensive (and not very practical for a small family). Lamb shanks are a much more affordable option for Easter. Whether you have a large gathering this Easter or a small one, lamb shanks are easy to cook and come out of the oven fork-tender and delicious. I often see lamb shanks on sale at my local grocery store for a few dollars apiece, but I scored these for only a few cents more from a local organic & grass-fed farm co-op.
If you want a fancy presentation, you can spend some extra time frenching the lamb shanks. This involves removing the meat and fat from the bottom of the shank; exposing the bone so when the shanks are cooked, they look like a big drumstick. I don’t bother, though. They look just fine like they are.
This Easter lamb shanks recipe only takes about 15 minutes to prep. It cooks in the oven for several hours and creates its own flavorful sauce full of carrots, celery, onion and herbs. I like to serve it with saffron rice but it will work equally well with mashed or roasted potatoes.
I have to mention (with some disbelief) that this is my first lamb recipe on Love and Duck Fat. This blog will be a year old in 5 months, so it’s about time. I cook with lamb fairly regularly so expect to see a few more before the big anniversary.
Happy Easter! -Marni
Ingredients
Method
Season lamb well with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet and add the olive oil. Sear lamb on medium-high heat until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the lamb from the skillet.Add the onions to the skillet. Cook and stir, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the lamb, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, tomatoes, broth and wine to the roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover loosely with foil and cook at 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. for 3 hours, turning the meat once. Check during cooking to make sure there is enough liquid in the pan to ensure the shanks are halfway submerged. Add more water if needed.
To serve, remove shanks from the sauce. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper if necessary. You can use the sauce as-is (chunky) or puree with added broth to make a smoother consistency.
Easter is around the corner and I’ve been searching for Easter dessert recipes to get me inspired! This collection of creative Easter recipes blew me away so I’m sharing them here with you. These recipes welcome spring with beautiful pastel colors, eggs, bunnies and chicks. They are perfect for an Easter dessert, event or a fun project with the little ones.
Top right (above): Robins Egg Speckled Cookies from The Miniature Moose
Top left (above): Speckled Easter Cupcakes from Urban Bakes
Middle right (above): Flower Pot Cookies from The Gunny Sack
Middle left (above): Cadbury Mini Eggs Layer Cake from The Gunny Sack
Lower right (above): Super Soft Sugar Cookies & Ombre Egg Tutorial from The Kitchen McCabe
Bottom (above): Easter Egg Nest Macaroons from Yummy Healthy Easy
Top left (below): Mini Easter Carrot Cakes from Food Faith Fitness
Top right (below): Green Tea & Honey Cake from Love and Duck Fat
Middle left (below): Bird, Chick or Duckling Cookies from Bake and Bait
Middle right (below): Chocolate Easter Bunny Cake from The Cake Blog
Bottom left (below): Lil’ Chick Cookie Cups from The Gunny Sack
Bottom right (below): Egg Cartons and Coconut Cupcakes from Handmade Mood
I hope this collection of spring-inspired Easter desserts got you ready to cook up some lovely desserts to celebrate this time of year. Check back next week for more inspiration as I begin this new series highlighting some of the best recipes from blogs I love on Love and Duck Fat.
-Marni
Discussion: Which one of these dessert would you like to make for Easter? Do you have a favorite Easter dessert?
Easter is quickly approaching and while I was thinking up recipes to share, I came across this image I took of my son last year. I didn’t have the blog at that time and needed an outlet for my creativity. My fat little 4-month-old fit the bill. What better muse could you ask for?
My musings resulted in a lot of fun photographs, including this one (above) from our Easter baby photo shoot. It took 2 days, some assistance from grandma and a few different outfits, but I eventually got the shot I was looking for. Going through the outtakes is as fun as the final result, so I thought I would share some on Love and Duck Fat. Maybe they will inspire you to take some fun Easter photos with baby.
To get this shot, I purchased a LOT of Peeps. I separated them all and left them out on a baking sheet for a few days so they wouldn’t be sticky. My first try was in our bedroom with a sheet set up as a background (and to corral the sugar).
The lighting in the bedroom wasn’t very good, and the images looked cluttered. So I tried again the next day in another location.
My goal was to get a big smile on Grayson’s face, but he was a little freaked out by all the Peeps. They look cute and squishy, but after a few days of drying out, the Peeps were rough and hard. They also looked like something good to eat, so in-between shots, I had to remove Peeps from his fat little fingers. We tried a shot with him sitting up (with support from behind), but that didn’t work either.
I moved the photo shoot into the living room under a window that had filtered light. Grayson was even less willing to smile on this day, having had enough of the Peeps, sitting in baskets and mommy making funny faces. I gave up on smiles and worked on getting a good, clean shot with lots of Peeps. Here’s our model taking a break to stretch.
I would say the hardest thing about this Easter baby photo shoot was getting the Peeps to stay in place. I wanted to hide his diaper, but he kept squirming–like babies do–and I had to pile them on over and over. In the end, I had to add in a few well-placed Peeps in Photoshop to get the image I wanted.
Writing this post has inspired me to try another Easter photo shoot with 16 month old. I have a feeling it will be a little more challenging this time to get him to stay in one place! I hope this gives you some inspiration (and a smile) as well. Happy Easter from Love and Duck Fat.
For more baby photography ideas, see these posts:
Nautical 1st Birthday Party Ideas
Baby’s 1st Thanksgiving
A Halloween 1st Birthday Party
