Description
A festive holiday appetizer featuring tall, standing deviled eggs shaped like Christmas trees with spinach filling for a natural green color, topped with pepper ornaments and parmesan snow.
Ingredients
Scale
- 7 large eggs
- Ice bath for cooling
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
- 5 oz baby spinach
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1/2 lemon (juice only)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons dehydrated potato flakes
- 1 red Fresno chili pepper, minced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into small stars
- Parmesan cheese for snow
Instructions
- Fill a pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Carefully lower the eggs into the boiling water using a slotted spoon.
- Set a timer for exactly 9 and a half minutes. While the eggs cook, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.
- When the timer goes off, immediately transfer the eggs to the ice bath using your slotted spoon. Let them sit for at least 5 minutes to cool completely.
- Peel the eggs under cool running water.
- Slice each egg in half crosswise so each half is round like a tree trunk.
- Gently scoop out the yolks and place them in a medium bowl. Refrigerate.
- Trim a tiny bit off the bottom of each egg white so they can stand up straight.
- Place the egg whites on a plate and refrigerate.
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Add the sliced garlic to the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add all the baby spinach to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until completely wilted.
- Remove from heat and let the spinach mixture cool to room temperature.
- In your food processor or blender, combine the cooled spinach mixture, egg yolks, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, smoked paprika, hot sauce, and potato flakes.
- Blend until the mixture is completely smooth and bright green.
- Transfer the filling to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- After chilling, give it a good stir. If too loose, add another tablespoon of potato flakes.
- Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
- Arrange your egg white trunks on a serving platter.
- Hold the piping bag vertically over an egg white and start piping from the bottom, slowly moving upward while bobbing the tip up and down slightly.
- Use two toothpicks to place 5 or 6 pieces of minced red pepper onto each tree as ornaments.
- Top each tree with a small yellow pepper star.
- Hold a microplane grater over the trees and grate fresh parmesan cheese to create snow.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until party time.
Notes
For best presentation, keep refrigerated until serving time. Store components separately up to 24 hours ahead, then assemble 2 to 3 hours before serving. If filling is too thin, add more potato flakes one teaspoon at a time. Make sure spinach is completely cooled and dry before blending to prevent runny filling.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Boiled
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 egg tree
- Calories: 85
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 125mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 2g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 165mg