Beet-ing heart deviled eggs for Valentine’s
Day (photo © Andrews McNeel Publishing).

A delightful cookbook was published today for lovers of deviled eggs, D’Lish Deviled Eggs: A Collection of Recipes from Creative to Classic. The 50 recipes from chef Kathy Casey prove the case that deviled eggs are not just for summer picnics; they demand their place at the table year-round.

We’ll publish a review of the book at another time, but we wanted to rush this special recipe for Valentine Deviled Eggs for your consideration.

Have you ever thought of mixing beets and eggs? It’s a delicious combination.

“I’m all for an appetizer that doubles as a fun craft project and these eggs certainly fit the bill,” says Chef Casey. “Pickled beet juice turns the whites deep pink and makes these eggs ideal for serving up on Valentine’s Day.”

Whether it’s for a party or a romantic tête-a-tête, whip up a batch of these “Beet-ing Heart” eggs. The pink color also works for Easter (but switch the garnish from beets to chopped chives for a touch of spring green).

The recipe makes 24 deviled egg halves. Check out the information at the end of the article for why it’s O.K. to enjoy your fare share (two halves a day).

RECIPE: BEET-ING HEART VALENTINE DEVILED EGGS

Ingredients

 
Filling

 
Topping

 
Preparation

2. DRAIN the eggs well, pat dry on paper towels, and discard the beet liquid. Halve the eggs lengthwise and transfer the yolks to a mixing bowl. Set the egg white halves on a platter, cover, and refrigerate.

3. FINISH THE EGGS. With a fork, mash the yolks to a smooth consistency. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, red onion, sugar, and salt; mix until smooth. (You can also do this using an electric mixer with a whip attachment.) Add salt and black pepper to taste.

4. SPOON the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain or large star tip, then pipe the mixture evenly into the egg white halves. Alternatively, fill the eggs with a spoon, dividing the filling evenly.

5. TOP each egg half with 1/2 teaspoon of pickled beets and a sprinkle of green onion.

As reported last week in The New York Times, a recent review of cholesterol studies suggests that for most people, eating one egg a day is not bad for the heart.

A review of eight prospective studies covering 263,938 subjects found no evidence that eating an egg a day increased the risk of heart disease or stroke, according to Dr. Frank B. Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard University and co-author of the study. The results were the same for men and women and in all age ranges.

That means you can enjoy two halves of these delicious deviled eggs. Here’s more on the study.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

We recently received a pitch for “an iceless and flavorless stainless steel chilling sphere,” which “helps maintain a lasting chill for a variety of drinks and party dips without compromise.”

The “compromise” is that perishable foods (those that are stored in the fridge) get warm as they sit out. If you’re concerned with food safety or simply want a dish to be chilled, you need to do something to fight the natural chemistry of things.
The USDA advises that perishable foods should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Internal [food] temperatures higher than 40°F provide enable bacteria to multiply.

The gel-filled stainless “chilling sphere” in the photo, called Tilt, “preserves the full flavor and texture of cold dips while preventing uneven chilling with ice and watery messes.” It is also “an enticing option for those who want to chill their drinks without diluting it [sic] with ice.”

Whether it’s for an extensive buffet or simply a bowl of dip next to the chips on the coffee table, here are some tried and true options to keep party food chilled.

1. KEEP THE FOOD IN THE FRIDGE UNTIL YOU’RE READY TO SERVE IT. Resist setting out perishables in advance of the first guests.

2. USE SMALLER BOWLS OR TRAYS. Instead of one large bowl of dip, for example, use a smaller bowl and refill from the fridge container as necessary (or keep a backup bowl in the fridge, ready to switch out). Do the same with platters/trays. Ideally, use stainless steel bowls which retain the cold longer, and keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to fill them and set them out.

3. USE ICE-NESTED BOWLS OR TRAYS. An easy chilling solution is to nest the bowl or tray with the food in a larger bowl or tray, filled with an inch or two of ice. When the ice melts, replace it. Crushed ice melts more quickly but makes nesting easier than ice cubes. To contain the melted water on a try, you can put the ice in Ziploc-type bags. Or, instead of loose ice or a bag of ice, you can use ice cube trays (filled with ice cubes, of course), and replace them when melted with backup ice cube trays from the freezer.

A stylish option we like has a stainless steel bowl that sits atop an ice-filled container. You may be able to create someting similar from dishes you already have. Here’s the platter chiller version.

For outdoor events, there’s an inflatable buffet that we’ve written about previously. Like a hollowed-out pool float, you blow it up, fill the hollow with ice and nest the food on it.

Try any of these solutions and party on!

If you really want a Tilt chilling sphere, head to SoireeHome.com.

But now that we do, what a great Valentine’s Day gift for your favorite tequila lover.

Agavero Tequila Liqueur, by the makers of Jose Cuervo, is a blend of 100% agave reposado and añejo tequilas. There’s also a touch of the damiana flower, an herb native to Mexico with a verbena-like aroma that is to have aphrodisiac properties (and if you want to believe in aphrodisiacs, that’s fine with us).

The liqueur fell out of fashion and wasn’t imported for years. Now it’s back in the U.S., and you should be able to find a bottle in the $15.00-$30.00 range (here’s a store locator). There’s also an orange-flavored version.

Agavero has the burnished copper color of an añejo tequila, with medium-full body of a liqueur. You’d think from the nose that you were about to drink añejo tequila: The liqueur has similar flavors, but with the light sweetness and silky texture of a liqueur.

It is delicious to sip, to add to coffee or to incorporate into cocktails. In a Margarita, use half tequila, half Agavero.

Here’s a cocktail perfect for Valentine’s Day, called Besame (Kiss Me). It was created by Sabina and Lorraine Belkin of DUO Restaurant & Lounge in New York City.

This cocktail combines sweet and tangy fruit flavors with a tequila bite and a Valentine-red hue. So get out the glasses and the cocktail shaker, and toast your Valentine with something special.

BESAME VALENTINE COCKTAIL

Ingredients Per Cocktail

 
Preparation

1. MUDDLE limes and raspberries in a highball glass.

2. ADD Agavero; top off with passion fruit juice. Add a splash of Chambord.

4. GARNISH as desired.

MORE VALENTINE COCKTAILS

Check out our Valentine cocktail recipes.