Deviled Eggs (French Les Oeufs Jeannette)

Jacques Pépin named this favourite childhood dish after his mother, whose stuffed egg is like nothing else he's encountered since. The dish Jacques Pépin calls "les oeufs Jeannette" is a favourite from his childhood. When Pépin was a kid, meat or poultry showed up on the dinner table once a week at most. Eggs were always a welcome main dish, whether in a gratin with béchamel sauce and cheese or in omelets with herbs and potatoes. His favourite egg recipe, however, was this - his mother's stuffed eggs, which he named after her. To this day, he has never seen a recipe similar to hers and he still enjoys it often.

Eggs:
6 jumbo eggs
1 tsp. garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2-3 Tbsp. whole milk
¼ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, preferably peanut oil

Dressing:
2-3 Tbsp. leftover egg stuffing
1 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
1 Tbsp. water
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

To Serve:
crunchy French bread

Put the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with boiling water. Bring to a very gentle boil and let boil for 9-10 minutes. Drain off the water and shake the eggs in the saucepan to crack the shells. (This will help in the removal of the shells later on.) Fill the saucepan with cold water and ice and let the eggs cool for 15 minutes.

Shell the eggs under cold, running water and split them lengthwise. Remove the yolks carefully and put them in a bowl. Add the garlic, parsley, milk, salt and pepper. Crush with a fork to create a coarse paste. Spoon the mixture back into the hollows of the egg whites, reserving 2-3 Tbsp. of the filling to use in the sauce.

Heat the vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet and place the eggs stuffed side down. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until the eggs are beautifully browned on the stuffed side. Remove and arrange stuffed side up on a platter.

For the Dressing:
Mix all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk or a spoon until well combined.

Coat the warm eggs with the dressing and serve lukewarm with crunchy French bread as a first course or main course for lunch.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook's Notes:

• What makes les oeufs Jeannette a cut above your standard stuffed or deviled egg is the pan-frying, which leaves the surface nicely browned and pleasingly crispy.
• The stuffing is thick enough that it should stay in place, but it's still good to be careful when placing the eggs cut-side down into the hot oil. Leaving them be until they've started to form a golden crust will help prevent any bits of filling from sticking to the pan.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• How does Jacques Pépin boil eggs? Here, Pépin offers some useful techniques for nailing a perfect hard-boiled egg that's also easy to peel neatly - crucial for this recipe. Starting the eggs by covering them in already-boiling water helps the white separate from the shell membrane. After the eggs are cooked, Pépin drains out the water and shakes the eggs around in the pan to gently crack the shells before submerging the eggs in cold water to cool. Removing the eggshells is also assisted by holding the eggs under cold running water while peeling.
• What are some other popular French egg dishes? French cuisine certainly knows its eggs - in fact, a perfect French omelet is a landmark accomplishment for aspiring chefs. But it's not just omelets: Try turning your humble eggs into a filling quiche, like Julia Child's bacon and Gruyère packed Quiche Lorraine; creamy scrambled eggs with truffle oil; or Pépin's fluffy cheese soufflé.