The Only Pickled Eggs Recipe You'll Ever Need!
We stopped by the James Beard House last week to see how Andrew Voss, executive sous-chef at the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes was holding up, halfway through prep for that night's dinner for 150. The answer? Great. He even had time to walk us through the preparation for one of his favorite bar snacks: pickled eggs.
Voss sourced pale blue heirloom Aracuna chicken eggs for this batch, but he clarifies: "The key is buying farm fresh eggs as opposed to grocery store eggs because the flavor is going to be substantially better." Grande Lakes should know: in October they're opening Whisper Creek, a farm for the resort.
Ready to display a big jar of these pickled eggs on your home bar, just like at the real classy joints? Here's what you'll need to make a dozen:
(Click on the first photo below to view as a slideshow)
Soft-boil the eggs
Carefully place however many eggs will fit in your pot without bouncing against each other too much. You may have to do this step in batches. Bring to a light boil then remove eggs from heat, cover and allow to sit for 8 minutes.
Transfer to ice bath
Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the pot and transfer them to a large bowl filled with ice water to stop them from cooking any further — this is one instance where an overboiled egg simply won't do.
Peel the eggs
Carefully peel the eggs by tapping gently on a hard surface, locating the membrane between the egg and the shell and peeling from there to avoid nicking the white. Place them back in the ice bath when they're done to remove any bits of shell, then place as many as will fit in the jar.
Make the brine
Combine the apple cider vinegar, peppercorns or juniper berries, chili flakes, sugar, salt and water in a medium saucepan over high heat, bring to a boil, add the beets, simmer for 10 minutes, remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Strain the brine
Using a fine sieve or mesh spider, strain the spices and beets out of the room temperature pickling liquid into a bowl or another pot.
Pour in the brine
Slowly pour the cooled, strained brine over the eggs in the jar until it's full. Transfer to the fridge and allow to sit until desired flavor is achieved — at least 3 days.
Slice eggs in half and eat
When the eggs are ready after about 72 hours in the fridge, slice in half to see the deep-pink and orange fruits of your labor and enjoy!
More classy How-To recipes on Food Republic: