For the past two weeks, our little apartment has been burning up. The Astronomer and I have been taking turns sitting in front of the Vornado to cool down because air conditioning is a luxury our home was built without. When the weather is this unforgiving, the stove should be left firmly off.
I found this delightful recipe for egg salad while searching Epicurious for tarragon uses. It requires minimal stove time, and the results really hit the ‘I want something light, but substantial’ spot. Drawing inspiration from my favorite egg salad sandwich at Pasadena’s Euro Pane Bakery, I kept the yolks slightly runny and the whites just under firm. The egg salad tasted fabulous mounded atop a nest of baby spinach and a thick slice La Brea Bakery bread. File this one under: Deliciously easy things to cook when your house feels like an oven.
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots (optional)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- Thick slices of crusty bread
- Greens (i.e. baby spinach, mesclun, pea shoots, etc.)
Cover eggs with cold water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the stove as soon as the water begins to boil and leave the eggs undisturbed for three minutes. Place a lid on the saucepan and leave the eggs for an additional two minutes. Transfer eggs with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice cold water and let stand for five minutes to cool. Peel eggs and finely chop.
Stir together eggs and remaining salad ingredients in a bowl with a fork. Egg salad can be made one day ahead and chilled, covered. To assemble, spread some mayonnaise or mustard (if using) on bread, then add the greens, and lastly the egg salad. Eating an open-face egg salad sandwich in a lady-like manner is nearly impossible, so please, just dig on in.
Makes 6 sandwiches.
Adapted from Gourmet, April 2003
Great combination!! I Love tarragon with eggs!! Must try this recipe! Thank you for sharing.
I’ve been following your blog for some time and it’s really wonderful and refreshing to see fellow Vietnamese bloggers – especially one who share an appreciation for food as something that goes beyond providing nutrients.
My girlfriend and I are also doing a collaborative blog (though it is not nearly as great as you and Astronomer!) and we definitely view you two as blogging influences!
Anyways, I wanted to comment and say thank you for posting a how-to guide on making runnier eggs, which is something I struggle with (they always turn out too runny and near impossible to de-shell!). I also wanted to say that I too, share a profound appreciation of egg salad that is made with runnier eggs!
Thank you again for posting and I look forward to reading more of your entries!
Chao!
YUM. Now I know what to do with the 6 eggs I have sitting around taking up space in my fridge. They have been making me mighty nervous since I haven’t used them up yet! The fridge must be purged!!!
OMG seriously it has been way to hot to cook at all!!! This looks yummy!
Lovely recipe, I just love tarragon. Can never think of what to have for lunch because I spend too much time planning & prepping evening meal. Will try this soon, thanks
That’s a great idea for when my mother comes. Charles won’t eat boiled eggs at all, but she and I will scarf that right up.
tarragon, where’d you go? i love tarragon. as for the heat situation, i have five words of advice: ice cubes down the pants. yup, i said it. it works.
Sook – But what if pants aren’t worn because it’s that hot?
So fitting and looks yummy! Btw, Vornado is definitely the brand of choice for fans for me too.
i wanted to drop a comment, but realized that daniel said all i wanted to say, re: runnier/soft boiled eggs for egg salad. i’ll use this method going forward.
Great blog! Phil at My Life as a Foodie turned me onto it. I LOVE egg salad, but I love to mince garlic finely and mix that, mustard, and homemade mayo or aioli to make mine, then add salt and pepper and put it on toasted bread slathered in olive oil. This is an interesting textural difference; I’ll have to try it this way next time.