5 Spicy Deviled Egg Ideas

Devil: noun. (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell.

Devil: verb. (modern) The act of combining with mayonnaise and seasonings with every intention to serve as an appetizer. (old-school) To coat with a spicy paste, as might allude to Lucifer himself (kind of a stretch).

I wonder sometimes if the devil would enjoy deviled eggs, then I laugh at myself because that's silly — everyone loves deviled eggs. Hard-boiled eggs are the official egg of lunchtime. The classic Southern recipe is a timeless winner, with tart mustard, sweet relish and a pinch of cayenne, garnished with paprika. But if you're going with deviled eggs for lunch, a little creativity will go a long way (as will the ability to boil an egg properly). Mix the yolks with the following ingredients and stuff back in for addictive deviled eggs that finally make some sense. Can you take the heat?

• The Devil Egg: Mix yolks with mayo, minced habanero and freshly ground black pepper.
• The Lucifer: Mix yolks with mayo and a dab of ghost chili sauce (surprisingly available where hot sauces are sold, or online) and garnish with ground cumin.
• The Akuma: Mix yolks with sesame oil, wasabi powder and black sesame seeds and garnish with sliced scallions.
• The Devil in Disguise: Mix yolks with horseradish sauce, prepared horseradish and plenty of white pepper, and garnish with truffle salt.
• The Beelzebub: This one's a whopper — halve a Scotch egg, scoop out the yolk, mix it with mayo, crumbled bacon and several healthy shakes of cayenne pepper, then stuff it back in and sprinkle with chives to add insult to injury.

Speaking of pernicious vittles, did you know that the chili we now know and feast upon today was originally known as "soup of the devil?" I can just see them stirring it with a red-hot pitchfork now...