Steve Mellon/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Two weeks ago I published a post which I’m not even going to link, because the outcome was so cataclysmic. In it I compared the relative nutritional merits of a Ph**ly Ch*******ak with that of a Primanti’s sandwich. The Primati’s sandwich won, naturally, which would be no surprise to anyone who has ever viewed the contents of a Ph**ly Ch*******ak. But nonetheless the mojo was apparently unduly tampered with.
Or maybe the Steelers just sucked. I suppose this is an option, and I shouldn’t blame myself.
Nonetheless, I’m not taking any chances. Last Sunday’s post, suggesting calming (and coincidentally healthy) foods delivered in spades. So today’s post, since the game is at Heinz Field, is going to feature at least relatively healthful recipes for a tailgate. They will also be simple, so if you bounded out of bed around 6:45 and are planning to head down to Heinz Field in a few hours, you still have time to throw a few of these together.
Black and Gold Deviled Eggs
Deviled Eggs doesn’t really need a recipe. I will give you a tip, though, which is that Costco now sells organic eggs that are pre-hard boiled and peeled! It was really the thing that brought deviled eggs back into my life, because when I thought of making them I never had hard boiled eggs sitting around, and it was too late to hard boil and chill and peel them. (Or peel and chill, according to taste.) But if you are more inclined to think ahead, and thus already have hard boiled eggs sitting around, go for it.
The idea is, of course, to cut the eggs in half lengthways, remove the yolks, and squash them with whatever seasonings you prefer. Personally I like the Mexican-style deviled eggs I recently concocted—add sour cream, a touch of mayo, a squeeze of lime, and a spoonful of tomatillo salsa to the yolks.
But for Black and Gold eggs it probably makes more sense to stick with the standard mayo and yellow mustard. If, like me, you aren’t a fan of yellow mustard, you could get the color with a bit of turmeric, or even saffron if you’re really fancy. A few finely chopped spring onions would be a good touch as well.
Squash it all up and spoon it back into the egg whites. Now comes the “black” part of black and gold—a little spoonful of black caviar (yes, the cheap grocery store stuff) placed over half the pile of smashed yolk. Or right in the center. The idea is to be able to see the yellow egg mix. Voila—an easy and elegant food for your party!
Of course, transporting deviled eggs is a royal pain, and they need to stay cold so you don’t get food poisoning, so perhaps these would be best for a party at home. But suit yourself. If you are going to transport them, try placing the half eggs into the cups of a muffin pan or two. And drive around the potholes…
And as long as we have the black and gold theme going—a particularly appropriate one for the final day they wear the Bumblebee jerseys, let’s go with a:
Black and Gold Fruit Salad
Again, this isn’t really a recipe, because if you don’t know how to make a fruit salad you’re beyond help from this website, at any rate. The trick is, of course, to pick the right color of fruits. Pineapple comes to mind, as do mangos, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. Any of these should go well together. You could also use cantaloupe. The black part is a bit trickier, but those enormous black seeded grapes would look fabulous cut in half, as would blackberries. Even thawed frozen blueberries would do in a pinch, as they seem to be much darker after they are frozen. Cut up the bigger stuff (and do your friends a favor and seed the grapes with the small end of a melon baller.)
And somehow just fruit salad, however black and gold, seems a bit tame, so you might want to make a sauce. You could just whip cream with a tablespoon or so of whiskey or rum, but a custard sauce would be in more keeping with the theme, and more delicious as well. Here is a recipe. If you’re the sort of person who would use custard powder, I will just look the other way…
- 4 egg yolks (if you want it really gold, make sure they are fresh free-range eggs)
- 2 ic whole milk
- 3 T sugar
- 1 t vanilla
Whisk the egg yolks and milk together thoroughly and whisk in the sugar. Cook over very low heat (or a double boiler) until the custard thickens a bit. (The traditional test is when it coats a silver spoon. Or any sort of spoon, really.) You want to get it near the simmer point but not boil it. It takes a while. Stir it occasionally as it cools, and stir in the vanilla when it has cooled a good bit. You can also add some sherry. I won’t tell.
If it seems slightly curdled you can strain it. Chill it in the fridge for a while. It’s amazing, although probably best over less acid fruits (so probably not with pineapple. But then pineapple and I don’t get on all that well.)
Oh, and Let’s Go Steelers!
Yes, I know it’s a 1 pm game rather than a night game, but the picture was so great I couldn’t resist.