Classic Devilled Eggs

Food styling, recipes & photography David Neville

	12 free-range eggs, size 7
	2 egg yolks
	2 tablespoons Old Yella habanero mustard
	1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
	1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
	½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus extra to serve
	½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
	200ml light olive oil
	juice of ¼ lemon
	2 teaspoons sea salt

1.	Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
2.	Using just the tip of a thumb tack, carefully pierce a tiny hole into the base of every egg.
3.	Put the eggs into the boiling water and set a timer for 9 minutes.
4.	Once cooked, put into a bowl and flood with continuous cold running water for 5–6 minutes, then transfer to the fridge for 1 hour.
5.	Put egg yolks into a clean bowl and add mustard, vinegar, paprika, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce.
6.	Beat until pale and approximately doubled in size.
7.	Slowly drizzle in oil while whisking to make a very thick mayonnaise.
8.	Loosen mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons warm water then whisk in lemon juice. Set aside.
9.	Remove eggs from the fridge and carefully crack and remove the shell.
10.	Cut eggs in half lengthways. The yolk will be cooked, but just set and not chalky.
11.	Carefully scoop out the egg yolks, place into a clean bowl and mash into a paste with a fork.
12.	Add mayonnaise to the cooked yolks and beat together with salt until combined.
13.	Using a spatula, press the egg yolk mayonnaise mix through a sieve to make it as smooth as possible and place it into a piping bag with a 1cm nozzle or a star nozzle if you want a true trip back in time.
14.	Pipe the mayonnaise into the egg white hollows until it comes approximately 1 cm above the egg. Repeat for all eggs.
15.	Return to the fridge until ready.
16.	To serve, sprinkle each egg with a small pinch of cayenne pepper.