Laptop Lunches #95

There's a heat wave descending on us here in the northeast. After an unbelievably comfortable first few weeks of June, with gentle temperatures and highs in the 70s, we're expecting triple digits. So I prepared most of my lunch ahead of time, and planned on something that should all be eaten cold.

Marinated broccoli-carrot salad, strawberry chunks, red grape and shrimp salad, and a stuffed egg.

The recipes for both salads came from Betty Crocker's Just the Two of Us. Both looked easy (super easy compared to the muliple-step processes I get from America's Test Kitchen's Cooking for Two series), and I was really intrigued by the grape-shrimp combo. I figured it would either be inspired, or a disaster. The marinated broccoli-carrot salad was fine; nothing remarkable. But the red grape and shrimp salad went far beyond even my "maybe inspired" expectations. Marinated shrimp and green onion flavored with tarragon pair perfectly with the grapes. It's a keeper.

I decided to show you how I stuff a single egg today, since I do it so often and it's such a good thing to have in your arsenal for those "got to have something from nothing" days when you haven't run to the store in a while. Most recipes are for stuffing at least 6 eggs, sometimes 12. But I can't eat through that many, and anyway, they taste best the day they're made. I don't know if this is a recipe or a tutorial, really, but I'm going to call it a recipe.

Slice a hard boiled egg and dump the yolks into a very small bowl. I use a ceramic 1/4 cup measure I have, but a small teacup or something of similar size will work. Mash the yolk with a cocktail fork.

Add a grind or two of black pepper, some salt, and whatever flavoring you're into for the day. Today, I used paprika.

Add about a cocktail spoon worth of light mayo and a tiny squirt of dijon mustard. If you're not a vegetarian, you can add a drop or two of Worchestershire sauce; whether you are or not you can add a drop or two of vinegar (any type you like). Mix with the cockail spoon. (Note: This is a drier mix than most recipes. It has a tendency to stay in place better, in my experience, than the wetter fillings.)

Stuffing them is super easy with a cocktail spoon. Just divide the mixture evenly and stuff. They are fine as they are, or you can add a garnish.

In this case I chose a small sprinkling of paprika.

Flavorings could include chopped herbs (I like dill or parsley) or chives, or finely chopped meat, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Use your imagination--with such a small amount, even if it turns out badly, you haven't expended much in time or money. When I perfect Caesar salad stuffed eggs for one, I will let you know--but suffice it to say for now that a bit of anchovy paste, garlic powder, and finely grated parmesan, with a finely shredded romaine garnish, can do amazing things.

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