Smoky Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are one of my favorite appetizers to make for parties – I love that you can tweak and personalize recipes based on your taste preference, whether you prefer briny, smoky, or spicy filling (my favorite is a combination of all three!). I also went a little overboard and dyed my hardboiled eggs with black food coloring, just to make them extra festive and spooky!

Smoky Deviled Eggs

1 dozen large eggs
Ice cubes
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely chopped cornichons
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon habanero powder (or more, to taste)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly ground white pepper
Freshly chopped chives (garnish)
Black food dye (if desired!)

In a large saucepan, cover the eggs with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat; boil for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Drain the eggs and cool them under cold running water, shaking the pan vigorously to crack the shells. Add ice cubes to the pan and let stand until the eggs are cool. Drain and peel the eggs.

Halve the eggs lengthwise. Gently remove the yolks and transfer them to a food processor.* Add the crème fraîche and mayonnaise and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the cornichons and onion and season with salt, black pepper and white pepper.

 Arrange the egg-white halves cut side up on a serving plate. Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip or a teaspoon, fill the cavities with the yolk mixture. Sprinkle with the chives and serve.

*At this stage, if desired, add several drops of black food dye to a bowl full of water. Add the halved eggs, and let them sit until the color takes.

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