Fried Buffalo Eggs

This has been an interesting week. Obviously, I love to cook and bake, and blogging only deepens that love because it forces me to pay more attention to what I'm doing. However, I think I may be a little too invested. How can I tell? Well, you know it's not a good sign when the act of blogging starts to inhibit rational behavior.

I set my kitchen on fire this week. I was baking cookies on a brand new (and still slippery) baking sheet, and when I pulled them from the oven, the parchment paper slipped off and everything fell onto the hot oven coils. The treated paper immediately burst into bright flames. Using an oven mitt, I fished around with a steel spatula, trying to scoop out the burning debris. I got a good piece, but then dropped it while trying to get it to my kitchen sink which was, mercifully, filled with dishwater. Before I could blink, I had fire in my oven, fire on my floor, burning cinders in my sink, and the only thought in my head was, "Oh damn, my camera's all the way across the room!"

I didn't get my camera in time to snap a shot of the blaze. It burned out fairly quickly, thank goodness. But after the fact, I did stop and think, "Hm. That wasn't a particularly smart way to arrange my priorities."



So anyway, since I seem to be on a roll with kitchen disasters, I figured the best thing to do is bring out more boiling oil! I like to tempt fate and live life on the edge, baby.

So, what inspired buffalo eggs?

I'm a pretty social, chatty person, and being stuck in a house all day by myself with an infant with an unfortunate lack of conversational skills, I post to a number of various forums. It gives me an outlet for my incessant chatter that might otherwise build up and explode all over the place. Messy. One of these outlets is (surprise surprise) a food forum. Once a week, the posters in this forum elect an ingredient for a challenge, and everyone makes a dish starring that ingredient. This week's challenge is eggs.

There's a million different dishes that can be made with eggs, and it took me a while to choose what I wanted to make. I wanted something simple and light, something pretty.

I chose to create buffalo eggs because it's not something I've ever seen before. I've seen deep fried eggs, but I wanted to take them to another level. And boy, what a combination of flavors! Spicy, crispy, tender... Mmm! Whether eaten plain on a salad, or sliced in half and turned into deviled eggs, they're sure to be a big hit. Everyone loves a twist on a classic, but when you twist together TWO classics--buffalo wings and deviled eggs--people go crazy. In the good way.

So, what you'll need for 4 buffalo eggs:
Recipe is kosher parve and vegetarian

- 4 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
- 1 cup buffalo-flavored bread crumbs

(If you can't find flavored breadcrumbs, you can make your own:)
- 2 cups italian breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- pinch of pepper

- oil for frying, 1-2 quarts

First, we're gonna hardboil these eggs.



Put your eggs into a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the pot of water to a rapid boil, cover, and turn off the heat. Move the pot to a cool burner and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. If you want a softer yolk, only go 8 minutes. Alton Brown taught me this trick, and it's never failed me. Alton and I, we get together regularly and have kitchen powwows.*

* This might not be exactly true.

With a slotted spoon, remove the eggs and immediately drop them into cold water. Peel the eggs under running cold water and set aside.



You're going to need three wide, shallow bowls or deep plates. Tupperware works well.

Bowl 1: Beaten egg and Tabasco.
Bowl 2: Flour and seasoned salt.
Bowl 3: Breadcrumbs and the rest of the spices.
Mix everything well. So much flavor! Are you excited yet?

1. When the boiled eggs have cooled, roll them in the beaten egg/Tabasco mix. (I know! Eggs dipped into eggs?! Crazy!)



2. Now dip the egg-coated egg into the flour.




3. Lastly, dip the floured egg back into the beaten egg/Tabasco mix, and then roll in the breadcrumbs like a puppy having a happy-attack. Make sure it's well coated.




Don't be afraid to repeat steps 2 and 3 until the egg is thoroughly coated in spicy, crispy goodness. Make it delicious.



Now. You'll want to heat your oil to 375 degrees. A good candy/oil thermometer is an asset to your kitchen, make a note.

One or two at a time, gently lower your breaded eggs into the hot oil with a sturdy metal spoon. If your oil spits and pops, it's too hot. If the eggs sink and the oil seems thick, it's too cool. You'll want to let them boil for 30 seconds to a minute, until the breading is crispy and golden.




Gently remove fried eggs from the hot oil and let them drain on a paper towel lined plate or cooling rack.




Now, what to do with these little beauties?

You can make a clever little play on the chicken-egg debate and use them to make a meatless buffalo "chicken" salad. I made one. It happened to be one of the most amazing salads of my life, I must say. The warm asparagus combined with tangy cranberries, spicy crispy eggs with the zip of blue cheese... oh my.

Loaded Salad for Two:
- 3 cups torn green leaf lettuce
- 2 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
- 6 spears of asparagus, grilled and chopped
- 2 buffalo eggs, halved
- drizzle of your favorite dressing





Or you can enjoy the pun and make Spicy-as-the-Devil'ed Eggs.

- 4 buffalo eggs, halved
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon cajun mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco

Remove the yolks from your egg halves and put them in a small bowl.
Using a fork, mash together yolks, mayo, mustard, and spices. Get it all smooooth and creamy. Mmm. You can spoon this mixture back into your breaded egg halves, or if you want to get all fancy-pants, you can put it into a piping bag and make it all pretty. Sprinkle with paprika and watch people go, "Oooh!"



Enjoy, and happy eating! May your kitchen adventures not end in disaster. ♥