Growing up in the Roberts family, an egg cracking contest was always the highlight of our Easter dinner festivities. Once everyone had selected a colored egg from the basket, arms and an occasional egg shell would fly as egg-wielding opponents squared off.
The objective of the game was to come through with knuckles and hard-cooked egg unscathed after knocking the egg’s pointy end against the pointy end of your opposition’s egg. After several elimination rounds, two finalists would shoot it out for the chocolate bunny.
It was good fun, particularly the year my brother and I caught our great uncle Ron cheating by slipping his thumb in front of his egg just before impact.
These days, the Roberts’ egg-cracking contest is as lively as ever, even though the youngest members of the family have grown and moved away. Good friends who gather at our table have enthusiastically embraced the after-dinner tradition of vying for a chocolate bunny.
Next comes the egg-cracking-by-proxy round: names of absent family and friends who have participated in past competitions are written on scraps of paper and thrown into a bonnet. The hat is passed at the table and everyone extracts a name (or two). Some absent participants have even contacted us prior to the event with color specifications of their proxy egg.
We’ve kept my father’s name in the competition, even though we lost him in the autumn of 2012. Having won more times than lost over the years, he was the Zen Master of egg cracking.
He had great technique. So after the proxy round is complete, the winner pairs off with the grand champion, Willie, for an even larger chocolate treat.
My mother says that our contest can be traced by to Coolidge elementary school days where my brother and I were first introduced to it. In other parts of the world it goes by a variety of names, including egg tapping, egg fighting, egg knocking, egg pacqueing, egg picking and egg jarping. In English folk lore, the game has variously been known as “shackling,” “jarping,” or “dumping.”
And it turns out that Ron’s cheating technique was relatively tame. Some participants have been caught with cement core, alabaster, and even marble ringers.
Egg-cracking contest aside, most of us have plenty of hard-cooked eggs to contend with this time of year. Hopefully, the following recipes will help. Of course, keep in mind that some eggs will be in no condition to eat and should be promptly tossed. Only work with leftover eggs that have been refrigerated except for the period — which shouldn’t exceed two hours — when they were in hiding, competition, or snuggled in someone’s Easter basket.
Everything-but-the-kitchen-sink tuna salad
26-ounce cans water-packed tuna, drained
6hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
1/2cup chopped carrots
1/2cup chopped green, red, or yellow sweet bell pepper
1/2cup finely chopped green onion
1/2cup peeled and chopped cucumber
1/4cup finely chopped pickled pepperoncini
1cup good-quality mayonnaise
2teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
2teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Years ago, while rafting the North Fork of the American River in northern California, the guides treated us to a delicious tuna salad that incorporated lots of fresh veggies and hard-cooked eggs. It was wonderful. I’ve been making my own version ever since.
In bowl, combine the tuna with the eggs, carrots, peppers, onions, cucumber, pepperoncini, mayonnaise, mustard and Worcestershire. Adjust seasonings, adding more mayonnaise, mustard or Worcestershire sauce to taste.
Makes enough for 6 to 8 sandwiches or salads.
Eggs with shrimp and dill sauce
1/4cup butter
1bunch of green onions, thinly sliced (all of the white and 1-inch of the dark green)
1/2cup cold water
5tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2cup clam juice
1/2cup dry white wine
1cup heavy cream
1/4cup minced fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
11/2cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
16hard cooked eggs
11/2pounds medium shrimp, boiled with dill sprigs, peeled and deveined
1cup dry bread crumbs
1/3cup melted butter
Sprigs of fresh dill for garnish (optional)
This is a great brunch dish for a crowd.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter; add green onions and saute for about 20 seconds, then add water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the water has almost completely cooked off. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, but do not brown. Whisk in the clam juice, wine, cream and dill. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce boils. Stir in 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, then remove from heat and set aside.
Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Place eggs, yolk side up, in shallow 3-quart baking dish. Cover with shrimp. Pour sauce on top of shrimp. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs with remaining 3/4 up Parmesan. Sprinkle on top of the sauce. Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with sprigs of fresh dill, if desired. (Note: the casserole may be prepared up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking).
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Recipe from “Creme de Colorado,” by the Junior League of Denver.
Three stuffed egg ideas
Curried stuffed eggs. Mash or force the yolks of six hard-cooked eggs through a fine sieve and add 1/4 cup finely chopped ham, 1 teaspoon grated onion, curry powder to taste (start with about 1/2 teaspoon), salt and pepper to taste, and enough mayonnaise to bind the mixture. Fill the whites and arrange the eggs on a bed of watercress or curly-leafed lettuce.
Eggs stuffed with chicken. Mash or force the yolks of six hard-cooked eggs through a sieve and combine with 1/2 cup cooked chicken that has been pureed in a blender to a smooth paste. Add 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, curry powder to taste, and a dash of cayenne. Fill the whites and garnish each one with a sliver of toasted almond.
Eggs stuffed with crab meat. Mash or force the yolks of six hard-cooked eggs through a sieve and combine with 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cooked crab meat, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (more to taste), 1 teaspoon each prepared yellow mustard and minced onion, dash of Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Fill the whites and garnish with small strips of red bell pepper.
Eggs Pontchartrain
Lettuce
1pound crab meat (or substitute extra fresh shrimp)
1/2pound fresh shrimp (either cooked tiny bay shrimp, or medium shrimp which have been cooked and peeled)
4hard-cooked eggs
4tomatoes
Creole dressing (recipe follows)
Jan Malone of the Richmond Times-Dispatch describes this recipe as a glorious crab and shrimp salad with a spicy vinaigrette dressing. The dish comes from New Orleans, which is next to Lake Pontchartrain. With the price of fresh crab being astronomical this season, consider substituting extra shrimp for the crab meat. I won’t tell a soul.
Line four plates with lettuce. Place a quarter of the crab meat (if using) in the center of each plate. Arrange shrimp around crab meat. Slice eggs into thin circles and place egg slices on top of crab meat. Slice tomatoes and arrange tomato slices around the outside of the plates.
To serve, drizzle a portion of the dressing over each salad and serve immediately.
Creole dressing: Combine two finely minced cloves of garlic with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar and 2 tablespoons Creole mustard (or Dijon); stir to make a paste. Whisk in 1/3 cup red or white wine vinegar, then slowly whisk in 1 cup canola oil (or half canola and half extra-virgin olive oil).
Adapted from “Food Editors’ Hometown Favorites Cookbook,” edited by Barbara Gibbs
Ostmann and Jane Baker.
Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis food writer, artist, and author of “Oregon Hazelnut Country, the Food, the Drink, the Spirit,” and four other cookbooks. Readers can contact her by email at janrd@proaxis.com, or obtain additional recipes and food tips on her blog at www.janrd.com.
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