Why do deviled eggs endure as a party favorite?

Of all the retro hors d’oeuvre—including stuffed celery and rumaki, a skewered chicken liver and water chestnut invented by “Trader Vic” Bergeron—deviled eggs keep holding their own.

Even people who rarely, if ever, eat a boiled egg can’t help plucking a stuffed egg off the tray. And speaking of trays: how many other hors d’oeuvre have specially designed trays? There are even carrying trays, to help you safely transport your eggs to the party; and Spode porcelain trays shaped like Christmas trees and a Lenox butterfly stuffed egg platter.

So join the stuffed egg lovers parade, and make a recipe for New year’s Eve:

A party favorite with many recipe variations.
Photo courtesy Zabar’s.

Here’s a tip from Andrea Watman, catering manager at Zabar’s in New York City, to boil the perfect egg:

The day before I am going to hard boil the eggs, I turn the carton on its side. First, make sure the carton is closed securely and second, be careful because eggs are more likely to crack on their side. (It has to do with Mother Nature protecting the eggs: The shells are harder vertically to protect them when they are laid).

Then, place the eggs in a sauce pan and cover with cold water and add one tablespoon of salt. Bring water to a full boil, turn heat down and boil for one minute. Turn off heat and allow eggs to stay in pan for 15 minutes. Rinse eggs in cold water for 5 minutes. Peel the eggs under cold running water.

There’s a key difference between “stuffed eggs” and “deviled eggs.” Deviled eggs refer to the use of hot spices or condiments in a recipe—paprika, mustard, hot sauce, horseradish, chiles, etc. The concept originated in 18th-century England.

The Brilliant Burger, above, is stuffed with
prosciutto. Photo courtesy BuiltBurger.com.

First we share, in alphabetical order, our favorite savory foods. Next week we’ll present the sweets.

Just click on the links to read the original reviews and why these foods have become our favorite gourmet gifts and treats.

• Big Papi En Fuego Hot Sauce, amazing hot sauce from the Boston Red Sox slugger
• Built Burger stuffed butgers, the best burgers we’ve ever had
• Kathryn’s Cottage Blue Cheese Salad Dressing, a secret recipe that’s better than anything else we can find or make
• Porchetta Primata, the most succulent pork we’ve ever tasted
• Terra Sonoma Verjus, an exciting, healthy, low-calorie and wine-friendly alternative to vinegar

Can’t wait for Part II, the sweet food winners? Here it is!

See all of the Top Picks from 2010 and prior years.

The top line: Wine is your friend, a wine spritzer is an even better friend. And some popular drinks are nobody’s friend because they’re packed with loads of calories and saturated fat.

• One cup of eggnog has 343 calories and a whopping 19 grams of fat (11 g saturated fat). Even a Starbucks non-alcoholic grande eggnog latte made with nonfat milk has 450 calories and 18 grams of fat (11 g saturated).
• A Long Island Iced Tea has more than 500 calories.
• A White Russian has 425 calories.

So, how do you party on without going overboard?

Flutes of Champagne are your best caloric
bet on New Year’s Eve. Flutes from Amazon.

2. Do drink a big glass or two of water prior to drinking anything alcoholic. A recent study published in the journal Obesity compared weight loss for two groups of dieters; the group that consumed two cups of water prior to meals dropped more pounds. Water not only makes you feel more full; it provides your body with the hydration that alcohol depletes.

3. Do choose wine instead of hard liquor cocktails. Wine has calories, but no fat; and it contains health-boosting antioxidants. A 4-ounce flute of Champagne has 78 calories, while a 5-ounce glass of red wine has 127 calories and contains the powerful antioxidant resveratrol. Just make sure you’re drinking a single four-ounce serving; some oversize wine glasses can hold 12 ounces or more (that’s 300 calories).

4. Do try a white wine spritzer (wine mixed with sparkling water), the lowest-calorie alcoholic beverage. You’ll cut the calories in half and still get some of beneficial antioxidants.

5. Do opt for sparkling water or club soda with a slice of lemon or lime if you need to have a drink in hand at the cocktail party. No one will know it’s not a gin and tonic! And it’s zero calories.

6. Do skip creamy drinks like eggnog, Piña Colada and Irish cream liqueurs. They are loaded with calories and fat.

7. Do allow yourself some fun indulgences. Just make sure you balance the excess calories with an additional walk or extra time at the gym.

[1] Make a BLT Bloody Mary with Bacon Vodka (photo © Bull And Bear Bar | Chicago [alas, now closed]).

[2] Make a BLT Bloody Mary with Bacon Vodka (photo © Bull And Bear Bar | Chicago [alas, now closed]).

Sure, there will be eggnog and Champagne on New Year’s Eve. But what about that sexy signature cocktail?

There’s still time for you to buy—or make—a bottle of bacon vodka and treat everyone to Bacon Bloody Marys. And we actually have two different recipes!

The first, which is a bit tricky (lettuce foam, for example), is a molecular gastronomy take on a B.L.T. Bloody Mary from the Hotel Jerome in Aspen.

The second recipe, which can be made by anyone who can cook bacon, is from Bloody Mary specialist Greg Tooke of MyBigFatBloodyMary.com.
 
 
BUYING BACON-FLAVORED VODKA

Different distillers make a bacon vodka. The one we’ve tried is Bakon Vodka, made in the U.S. from Pacific Northwest potatoes (photo #2).

As a potato vodka, it’s gluten free It has real bacon flavor, clean and crisp. You can drink it neat, because there’s no bad burn.

Either bottled or homemade, your Bacon Bloody Mary will be a blast!

Check out the history of the Bloody Mary.
 
 
BLOODY MARY RECIPES

It’s a great idea for January 1st, National Bloody Mary Day; for Sunday game time, or for cookouts: Bloody Marys may be the best cocktail with grilled foods.

Flavors include Apricot, Blackberry, Cranberry, Raspberry and Spiced. The line is certified kosher by Oregon Kosher and is available at TheNibbleGourmetMarket.com.

Two lucky winners will receive a honey crème trio gift set of three of the flavors.

Retail Value Of Prize: Approximately $18.99.

Spread this honey on just about anything.
Photo by River Soma | THE NIBBLE.