Hard Cooked Eggs Stuffed with Tapenade

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 extra large egg per person
water for cooking the eggs
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Aïoli (recipe follows)
Tapenade (recipe follows)

Preparation:

Have the eggs at room temperature. Put eggs in a saucepan just large
enough to hold all the eggs in one layer, with enough cold water to
cover. Salt the water and set over medium low heat. Bring the water to
a boil slowly. Allow the eggs to simmer, with the water bubbling, but
not violently, for 5 minutes.

When the eggs have finished cooking, bring the pot to the sink and
turn the cold water on, running rapidly into the hot water. Allow cold
water to replace the hot in the pan. Then drain, dry and peel the
eggs.

Allow the eggs to cool completely before slicing them in half
lengthwise. Put the yolks in a small mixing bowl and mash with the
mustard and Aïoli. Taste and correct seasoning if necessary.

Line the egg-white boats with the yolk mixture, then mound a spoonful
of the Tapenade atop each egg.

Tapenade
(Olive, Anchovy and Caper Condiment)

To make about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1/2 pound large plump ripe olives (they should be slightly wrinkled,
cured in oil rather than brine)
1/2 of a 2 ounce tin anchovies preserved in olive oil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and slightly crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons capers preserved in vinegar, well drained
1 1/2 teaspoons Cognac
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

Pit the olives, either with an olive pitter, or by crushing the olive
meat (but not the pit) with the flat side of a large knife or cleaver
and extract the seed. Put the olive meat into a food processor.

Add the tin of anchovies with oil and the garlic, capers, Cognac,
olive oil and a few good turns of the pepper mill. Blend the
ingredients together all at once. Keep this preparation brief so that
the purée retains a coarse texture.

To store the Tapenade for future use, pack it in small jars
(preferably glass). Cover jars tightly and refrigerate. (I have known
it to keep as long as 2 months).

Note:

Tapenade is a very versatile condiment. In addition to using as a
stuffing for hard cooked eggs, you can: spread it on toasted slices of
French bread and serve it with apéritifs; serve it as an hors d'oeuvre
with raw vegetables and hard boiled eggs; use it as the basis for a
sandwich. Spread it on a long thin loaf of French bread, split in half
and toasted, then layer the sandwich with slices of tomato, hard
boiled eggs, sweet new onions and a few anchovy fillets (or chunks of
well drained, canned tuna).

Aïoli

This is the real star of the show. All the other dishes are prepared
to accompany IT! You can eliminate almost any other item from your
menu and still have an authentic party, but without this one, it is
not an “Aïoli!”

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

14 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
2 egg yolks (at room temperature)
freshly ground white pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:

Peel the garlic and split the cloves lengthwise to make sure there are
no sprouts inside. Turn on a food processor fitted with the metal
blade. Drop the garlic cloves through the feed tube and chop as fine
as possible.

Stop the machine and push the chopped garlic from the sides of the
bowl to the bottom. Add the salt and process briefly to make a paste
of the two. Add egg yolks, pepper, about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
and 3 tablespoons olive oil to the work bowl and process until thick
and pale. Now, with the motor running constantly, dribble the rest of
the olive oil and all of the vegetable oil through the open feed tube
in a slow, steady stream. When all the oil has been absorbed, you
should have a thick, stiff mayonnaise. Taste and adjust seasonings
(salt, lemon juice).

Note:

You may prefer to make this by hand in a mortar with a pestle. That
will take much longer, but is the traditional way. Please do not use
an electric blender. It makes the aioli too fluffy.