Guest blog by Chef Pat E. O’Dawe, Chef at Grandover Resort & Sheraton Greensboro Four Seasons
Eggs are amazing! From aioli’s and soufflés to custards, cured yolks, meringue, and even real Caesar dressing…there are endless possibilities, recipes, and techniques to learn and to cook with eggs.
And, the egg and poultry industry are very important for our state. In fact:
- Poultry is the #1 agricultural industry in North Carolina.
- The poultry industry creates over 148,350 jobs for North Carolinians and generates an economic impact of $39.76 billion.
- Over 5,700 farm families produce poultry and eggs in North Carolina.
- North Carolina is home to 9 million hens that lay 7 ½ million eggs each day.
I have been a chef for close to 20 years and have yet to scratch the surface of the incredible EGG. We have all made deviled eggs before, so here is my alterations to a classic recipe—BLT Deviled Eggs. This recipe has evolved from its humble beginning and isn’t your usual BLT. Not a BLT at all—but it is a familiar name, so people usually eat their full before asking what’s on them because they are so pretty!
“BLT” Deviled Eggs
Beet Pickled Eggs
Candied Bacon
Fresh Jalapeño
Beet Pickle Mix
3 large fresh whole beets (peeled and cut into quarters)
1 cup sugar
1 cup wate
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup pickling spice
Beet Pickled Eggs (egg salad)
1 dozen large eggs
1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon sweet pickle juice
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Sprinkle of turmeric
Salt & pepper (to taste)
Prepare the Beet Pickled Eggs
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot, bring to a boil and strain into a container, let mixture cool completely before adding cooked egg halves. Let egg white halves sit overnight in beet pickle liquid.
Candied Bacon
15 strips of thick cut bacon
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
Prepare the Candied Bacon
Preheat oven at 325 degrees, perfect temperature for bacon. Place bacon on parchment paper and grind black pepper heavily on raw bacon and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Cook for 15-20 minutes, depending on oven. Keep sugary bacon fat for other recipes. Let bacon cool on cutting board (not in fat) then cut into strips.
Prepare the “BLT” Deviled Eggs
Boil eggs for 13 minutes in a salted pot of water. Remove eggs and put in an ice bath. Crack eggs on the side of the sink, peeling eggs under running water, separate the whites and yolks of the egg. Make the egg salad with the remaining ingredients. Reserve the whites for pickling. Assemble by piping egg yolk mixture into each half of the beet pickled egg, top with candied bacon and a sliver of fresh jalapeño.
Done…enjoy! Or use the same process and top it with fried pickles! Visit our website for more egg facts, recipes and info, or check out the North Carolina Poultry Federation to learn more about NC Poultry.
