Fannie Farmer’s 1896 Stuffed Eggs

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Deviled Eggs - 3-23-08
Marshall Astor from San Pedro, United States [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

It wasn’t until the 18th and 19th centuries when the word ‘deviling’ became widely used to describe the process of making a food spicy. Many cultures even today still use other words such as “mimosa eggs,” “dressed eggs,” “salad eggs” and “stuffed eggs” to avoid any associations with the devil. In parts of the South, the term "dressed eggs" was actually preferred until the 20th century because “deviled” brought with it the connotation of that "hot spot down under." For shame!

A recipe from Fannie Farmer’s 1896 Boston Cooking-School Cookbook was one of the first to use mayonnaise as a binder for the filling of “stuffed eggs.” Of course, mayonnaise wasn’t commercially distributed in the U.S. until 1907, so it wasn’t commonly featured in deviled egg recipes until much later.

“Bring 6 eggs to a boil. Once cooked, place the eggs in cool water until they are completely cool. Peel the eggs and slice them in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the yolk and place them in a small bowl. Use a fork to mash up the yolks. Add 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard, 2 dashes of vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Mix until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture equally back into the whites.”



* Eleanor Rose’s secret ingredient: To enjoy the Southern version of Fanny’s recipe, add a ¼ teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk to the mixture to make your “stuffed eggs” devilishly good!
 
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Ellie. Thank you very much for providing this "devilish" good recipe for stuffed eggs. Prior to the invention of mayo in 1907 didn't cooks simply make their own mayo with cooked egg yolks and added spices? My grandmother always made her own mayo and never was one to buy a commercial brand, it simply was uncouth and improper. In order to really "kick up" my devil egg recipe I liked to add a pinch or two or three of cayenne pepper. By the way, cayenne pepper is very good for the circulatory system and was used on several occasions to prevent stroke. But I love your idea of adding sweetened condense milk. Miss Ellie. I believe you have yet another winning recipe. :wink:David.
 
I love deviled eggs and that sounds like a good recipe. I've always liked my deviled eggs
with a dash of paprika sprinkled on the them to give them a little extra flavor. Cayenne
pepper as one previous poster suggested might be interesting to try. My wife always makes
deviled eggs for Thanksgiving and special occasions.
 

(Photo courtesy of Inhabited Kitchen)
It wasn’t until the 18th and 19th centuries when the word ‘deviling’ became widely used to describe the process of making a food spicy. Many cultures even today still use other words such as “mimosa eggs,” “dressed eggs,” “salad eggs” and “stuffed eggs” to avoid any associations with the devil. In parts of the South, the term "dressed eggs" was actually preferred until the 20th century because “deviled” brought with it the connotation of that "hot spot down under." For shame!

A recipe from Fannie Farmer’s 1896 Boston Cooking-School Cookbook was one of the first to use mayonnaise as a binder for the filling of “stuffed eggs.” Of course, mayonnaise wasn’t commercially distributed in the U.S. until 1907, so it wasn’t commonly featured in deviled egg recipes until much later.

“Bring 6 eggs to a boil. Once cooked, place the eggs in cool water until they are completely cool. Peel the eggs and slice them in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the yolk and place them in a small bowl. Use a fork to mash up the yolks. Add 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard, 2 dashes of vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Mix until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture equally back into the whites.”



* Eleanor Rose’s secret ingredient: To enjoy the Southern version of Fanny’s recipe, add a ¼ teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk to the mixture to make your “stuffed eggs” devilishly good!
Cindy makes deviled eggs almost exactly the same way as this, Ellie, except she adds a couple dashes of Tabasco in the yolk mixture and a sprinkle of smoked paprika on top as a finish. They are favorites of mine and I usually eat too many and give myself a belly bomb and, after a couple hours, the atmosphere in our house will get a little nasty.
 
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