Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book (62 page)

Break the egg yolks up a little bit using a fork. Grate the garlic into the egg yolks, then grate about 2 tablespoons of onion juice into the bowl. Add the capers, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, the juice of the lemon, a few dashes of hot sauce, the mayo, pepper, and half of the parsley. Mash until smooth and check the seasonings.

Fill the egg whites, overstuffing them a little. Garnish with the remaining parsley.

MAKES 1 DOZEN

Cut the fat rounded ends off the eggs, scoop the yolks into a bowl, and stand the hard-boiled egg whites upright in the egg carton. If you prefer to serve the eggs on a platter, trim a small piece of egg off the pointed ends so they will stand upright.

Break the egg yolks up a little bit using a fork. Add the ginger, scallions, garlic, tamari, hot sauce, mayo, and pepper. Mash until smooth and check the seasonings.

Fill the egg whites, overstuffing them a little. Garnish the eggs with whole cilantro leaves or finely chop the cilantro and sprinkle it over the eggs.

MAKES 1 DOZEN

Cut the fat rounded ends off the eggs, scoop the yolks into a bowl, and stand the hard-boiled egg whites upright in the egg carton. If you prefer to serve the eggs on a platter, trim a small piece of egg off the pointed ends so they will stand upright.

Break the egg yolks up a little bit using a fork. Add the ginger, scallions, garlic, curry powder, mayo, and salt and pepper. Mash until smooth and check the seasonings.

Fill the egg whites, overstuffing them a little. Garnish the eggs with the red bell pepper and cilantro.

MAKES 1 DOZEN

Cut the fat rounded ends off the eggs, scoop the yolks into a bowl, and stand the hard-boiled egg whites upright in the egg carton. If you prefer to serve the eggs on a platter, trim a small piece of egg off the pointed ends so they will stand upright.

Break the egg yolks up a little bit using a fork. Add the mayo, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Grate in about 3 tablespoons of onion and juice, working directly over the bowl. Add the celery leaves and thyme to the bowl, then break up the crab as you add it. Season the crab with a couple teaspoons of Old Bay and some pepper, then mix to combine the filling and check for seasoning.

Fill the egg whites, overstuffing them a little. Garnish the
crabby eggs with the red bell pepper and chives.

Sweet Baked Brie

SERVES 8

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Spread the puff pastry sheet onto a counter and roll it to
1
⁄
8
inch thick. Trim a few inches of the dough off the ends to square it off (save the scraps). Cut the Brie through the equator into two disks, and place one half on the puff pastry, cut side up. Spread the jam on the cheese, and sprinkle with the almonds. Replace the top half of the Brie. Wrap the dough up and over the Brie, and brush with egg wash to secure. Place the Brie package on a nonstick baking sheet, seam side down. Cut designs of your choice from the dough scraps and decorate the top of the dough, then brush with the egg wash. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve with the crackers.

The seeds of the eggplant make this rich and healthful spread resemble caviar eggs.

SERVES 8

Preheat the oven to its highest setting, at least 500°F.

Cut 2 or 3 slits into the eggplant and place it directly on the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Roast the eggplant until it is tender, about 25 minutes. The roasted eggplant should look like a flat tire when you (carefully!) remove it from the oven. Set it aside to cool for 10 minutes or so.

When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, use a sharp knife to peel the skin away from the eggplant flesh. Place the cooked eggplant flesh and the lemon juice in a food processor and add the garlic, salt and pepper, herbs, and EVOO. Pulse to puree the eggplant into a smooth dip. Transfer to a serving bowl and surround the bowl with pita chips.

For your dippin' pleasure I challenged myself to see how many different ways I could jazz up this perennial crowd-pleaser, a tangy blend of buttermilk and fresh herbs. The beauty of buttermilk is that it is made with skim or low-fat milk, yet it tastes thick and creamy. It's fermented—a little like yogurt. One cup has two-thirds the calories of whole milk and less than one-third of the fat (and less than an eighth of the calories of heavy cream). To make this into ranch salad dressing, just change the ratio of buttermilk and sour cream, using 1 cup of buttermilk and just ¼ cup sour cream.

MAKES 1½ CUPS

In a medium bowl, stir together the buttermilk, sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, hot sauce, parsley, dill, and chives. Season the dip with salt and pepper, adding more hot sauce to taste if needed.

Scoop the hummus into a small or medium bowl and spread the giardiniera over it. Top with the olives, spreading them in an even layer, then with the roasted red peppers. Place the bowl on a serving platter and surround with pita chips, cucumber, and celery for dipping.

SERVES 8 TO 10