Just in time for making Easter eggs: How to cook perfect hard-boiled eggs, then dye the eggs in beet juice or pickled beet juice to create stunning ruby-colored "whites" with sunny-yellow centers.
Oh so Easter-basket pretty! And yet ever so simple, just hard-boiled eggs soaked overnight in beet juice. Don't worry, soaking transfers beet color, not beet flavor.
Cooking eggs should be simple! Instead, hard-boiled eggs may "look" simple but they can be tricky to cook. The eggs can turn out too soft (undercooked) or too hard and crumbly (overcooked) or ringed with green (cooked improperly) or impossible to peel (probably too fresh). For each problem, someone supplies a list of tricks aka solutions. No more.
I clipped this "perfect hard-boiled eggs every time" recipe so long ago there's no memory of its source. But this technique (a recipe for hard-cooked eggs? I suppose it's that!) creates perfect hard-boil eggs. Every time. With both fresh eggs (which are said to be still trickier) and older eggs. The trick is to live by the clock for precision timing is the key. Get out your timer!
UPDATE I dye cooked eggs with natural beet juice every Easter now. At first, people kind of freak out, then, when they realize they taste just the same as regular eggs, they're crazy for them, because they're just eggs, not deviled eggs. (This is how I make Deviled Eggs, just a simple garnish takes deviled eggs from so-so to spectacular.) Enjoy!
PERFECT HARD-BOILED RUBY EGGS
FOR PERFECT HARD-BOILED EGGS Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Cover with water plus an inch. TIP: It's better to fill the saucepan than to have a couple of eggs knocking around in a pan that's not very full, they're more prone to crack. Bring the water to boil on HIGH. TIP: I set the timer for 5 minutes and carry on with whatever I'm doing so long as it's within hearing of the timer. The water won't be boiling when the timer goes off but is close to boiling so I hang close and pay close attention. While the water boils, prepare the ice bath. This is 2 - 3 cups of ice cubes in a large bowl, filled with cold water but leaving room for the eggs. TIP: I like to use a bowl that's large enough for a colander to fit inside. Just as the water begins to boil, let it boil hard for 1 minute. TIP: Not 30 seconds, not 2 minutes. Set the timer! Turn off the heat (remove from the element if it's an electric stove) but do not drain. Cover the saucepan and let sit for 10 minutes. TIP: Not 7 minutes, not 12 minutes – again, set the timer! Drain the eggs and gently lower them into the ice bath. Let the eggs cool for 5 minutes – set the timer! TIP: I gently lift the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon into a colander that fits into the bowl of ice water, then settle the colander into the ice, being sure to cover the eggs completely. It's no problem if the eggs sit in the ice water for longer than five minutes, but they do need to cool completely. Peel. That's it! TIP: If the eggs are going into the fridge for eating later, I mark the shell with an X or some times, if I keep cooked eggs on hand for quick protein-rich snacks, I'll keep a special egg box just for the cooked eggs.
FOR RUBY EGGS For UNPICKLED Ruby Eggs, for 24 hours, soak the peeled eggs in a bowl of canned beet juice in the refrigerator. TIPS: Make sure the eggs are fully submerged. For even color, turn the eggs occasionally. Use a glass container, anything else will get stained by the beet juice. For PICKLED Ruby Eggs, soak the peeled eggs in a bowl of PICKLED beet juice for 24 hours, again in the refrigeraror. TIP: I haven't actually done this but a reader/commenter suggests it. Use up the beets themselves with easy and handy refrigerator pickles called Swedish Beets, Refrigerator Pickled Beets or the delicious Secret-Ingredient Wine & Fruit Salad. When slicing, wipe off the knife after each egg, it will help prevent the beet color staining the edges of the yolk. TIP: After slicing, the beet color starts to leech into the yolk after a couple of hours, time accordingly.
Because the eggs are peeled, they won't last forever like hard-cooked eggs still in their shells. I'd plan to use within 48 hours.
RUBY EGGS INSPIRED BY
Vegetarian Celebrations by Nava Atlas, my favorite vegetarian cookbook since the early 1990s, especially appreciated now that I eat meat again, for its easily accessible ingredients.
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MORE EASTER RECIPES
~ Hot Cross Buns ~
traditional during all of Easter but especially on Good Friday
~ Asparagus Custard Tart ~
perfect for brunch, impressive-looking but oh-so-easy
~ Lemon Pots ~
simple lemon custard tucked into egg shells
~ more Easter recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade
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