How to Make Fancy Deviled Eggs | Spring in Munich

Stuff eggs with...

beautiful flowering bulbs and plants.

Decorate them with wooden bunny picks.

Shower them with water and love.

Then wait for vain narcissi, shy snowdrops and showy pansies to make their appearance.

Spring in Munich.
I was fascinated by these eggshell planters at Viktualienmarkt in Munich.

Now isn't that the sweetest recipe? 

I was so fascinated when I saw these eggshell pots in Viktualienmarkt in Munich, Germany, in Spring, that I had to snap a photo so that I could replicate it back in my garden, once I returned stateside.

These spring egg-shell garden planters turned out to be the inspiration for my fancy deviled eggs decorated with edible spring flowers like pansies and violas.

My fancy deviled eggs inspired by a trip to Munich, Germany

My Visit to Viktualienmarkt, Munich, Germany in Spring

I visited Munich in April. Spring time! 

For me, this is the best time to visit Europe when the summer hoards of tourists are still a distant cry away along with the fierce summer heat. 

Munich in April was cool and colorful. Showy magnolias and lacy cherry blossoms hung off branches everywhere I looked. Squares were filled with locals buying spring wreaths and stems to decorate their homes. 

Viktualienmarkt was one of the most vibrant squares that I visited on this trip. The square was packed with covered stalls, surrounding the central Maypole, where locals were buying what might have been been normal seasonal German produce to them. But to me, fresh spring wreaths, branches of pussy willow, bunches of fresh white asparagus and terribly expensive truffles were all delightfully novel.

The Maypole in the center of Viktualienmarkt, Munich

  Hansom chose to order a one liter glass of beer and an equally humungous bratwurst and sat himself down in one of the hundred odd chairs in the biergarten to enjoy German fare at his own pace. If you're joining me for the first time, you may wonder who Hansom is. He's my husband and wonderful travel companion, who is most happy to allow me to wander and get lost as long as he has a place to sit and enjoy a beverage while watching the world go by. 

So Hansom did what he does best while I explored all the stalls in Viktualienmarkt. The garden shop below fascinated me the most with its beautiful spring display of pots and spring decorations of wooden stork picks, bunnies, eggs and chickens decorating the fresh baskets of pansies, tulips and daffodils.

My favorite shop in Viktualienmarkt.
The egg shell planters filled with flowering bulbs gave me an idea!

The beautiful egg shell planters, stuffed with spring flowering bulbs sure left an impression on me. When I returned to the U.S., I transferred this garden recipe to my kitchen and created real stuffed eggs, decorating them with colorful edible flowers.

These special, fancy deviled eggs can be made for a whole host of celebrations from baby showers and bridal showers to Easter and Thanksgiving and the reception you can expect to receive will be  close to eggstatic. I promise,

How to Make Fancy Deviled Eggs?
Inspired by a Trip to Munich in Spring

How the devil do you make devilishly fancy deviled eggs? Like all things devilish, it's really very simple. (On the other hand, try making an angel food cake and you'll learn very quickly what the opposite of easy is.)

When it comes to celebratory deviled eggs, it all boils down to presentation. Yes, the filling must be delicious but since we eat first with our eyes, creative and beautiful toppings take the deviled eggs up more than a notch.

Displayed on my beautiful glass deviled egg tray which has notches that keep the eggs in place, it's easy to transport and serve. I highly recommend scoring a deviled egg platter/ dish for yourself.

Deviled eggs displayed on a devil egg platter with mini quiches in the center.

How to Make Fancy Deviled Eggs?

You just need a couple of things to prettify and decorate your deviled eggs.

1. A piping or pastry bag with an open or closed star piping tip to pipe the egg yolk paste into a pretty design.
2. Different types of garnishes.
3. A deviled egg platter to display your eggs and prevent them from slipping and sliding around in an ungainly fashion. Trust me, you need one of these.

What Do You Put in the Middle of a Deviled Egg Dish?

Deviled egg dishes usually have grooves around the edges for the eggs and a space in the middle which can do double duty as an appetizer tray. Just fill up with similar easy to handle, finger food appetizers like mini quiches, sausage rolls, crudites, cheese, olives, pickles etc.  Here's an example of a beautiful arrangement by Shelly Westerhausen @vegetarianventures.

My deviled eggs piped with a start tip, garnished with dill, red bell peppers, pickled mustard seeds and viola flowers.

What Can I Garnish my Deviled Eggs With?

If you are the creative sort, you'll just love this bit.

1. Green garnishes like feathery dill, curly parsley, flat parsley, chives or coriander.
2. Red garnishes like piece of bell peppers, tomato, beetroot or even bits of bacon.
3. White garnishes like pickled mustard seeds. Tip: I draw my mustard seed garnishes from a bottle of pickled gherkins. These pickles usually use mustard seeds and bell peppers as pickling spices and these are great for garnishing deviled eggs. Strain them through a tea strainer before using.
4. Uber fancy garnishes like caviar; black caviar from sturgeon and orange caviar from salmon or trout.
5. Edible flowers, either petals or whole edible flowers like pansies and violas introduce shades of violets, mauves, yellows and pinks to the eggs.
6. Dusting powders/ seeds like a fine sprinkle of course pepper, black sesame seeds or paprika add flavour and colour.

Pipe yolk mixture mostly in the center to show a bit of the egg white.

Recipe : Fancy Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

☐ 8 eggs
☐ 3 tablespoons mayonnaise of Miracle Whip
☐ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
☐ 2-3 teaspoons of pickle juice
☐ Salt to taste
☐ Pepper to taste

☐ Dill

☐ Pansy or viola flowers

☐ Red bell peppers

☐ Pickled mustard seeds

Step by Step Instructions:

Step 1: Boil eggs

Place eggs in a saucepan. Cover with cold water. Add salt. Bring water to a boil. Once water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer eggs for 8 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool eggs under cold water.

Once cooled, peel eggs and slice lenthwise into 2.

Step 2: Make Yolk Paste

Scoop out egg yolks into a bowl. 

Add mayonnaise/ Miracle Whip, pickle juice, mustard, salt and pepper. Mash with a fork or back of a spoon to form a smooth paste.

Step 3: Fill Eggs

Fill the paste into a pastry bag with a start tipped nozzle. Pipe the yolk mixture into each egg.

Step 4: Garnish

Garnish eggs with red bell pepper bits, dill, pickled mustard seeds and pansy or viola flowers. Sprinkle with pepper or paprika.

Kitchen Tips:

Boil more eggs than you think you might need. 

Ever heard of Murphy's Laws? Well, my interpretation of them is when you're hard pressed for time, you can be sure your eggs won't peel easily and you may lose a few. Plus, a few extra yolks are always welcome so that your paste doesn't run short.

Make your deviled eggs a day early

These eggs can be completely made upto a day ahead of time, along with all garnishes, and stored in the fridge lightly covered with cling wrap. In fact, I'd highly recommend making it early so that you can enjoy the process of decorating and garnishing the eggs with no pressure.

Wishing you egg-scelent results on your deviled egg project!

Check out my other appetizer recipes:

- Apple Rose Pastries

- Baked Tandoori Chicken Empanadas

For more Easter related recipes, click on the 'Easter' label below.