Jacques Pépin’s les oefs jeanette

This unusual and delicious recipe for stuffed eggs served warm is adapted from Jacques Pépin’s delightful autobiography, The Apprentice. Pépin says “Our favorite egg recipe was my mother’s creation of stuffed eggs, which I baptized ‘eggs Jeannette.’ To this day, I have never seen a recipe similar to hers, and we still enjoy it often at our house.” He recommends serving them as a first course or for lunch with crusty bread. I like them best served on a bed of baby lettuces. I also added a bit of vinegar to the stuffing. 

• 6 jumbo eggs %u2028
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. vinegar, preferably sherry vinegar, optional
• 2 T. chopped fresh parsley, preferably flat-leaf%u2028
• 2 to 3 T. whole milk%u2028
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 T. vegetable oil such as canola or peanut

Dressing:

• 2 to 3 T leftover egg stuffing%u2028
• 4 T. extra-virgin olive oil%u2028
• 1 T. Dijon mustard%u2028
• 1 T. water
• Salt%u2028and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Split the eggs lengthwise. Remove the yolks carefully, put them in a bowl, and add the garlic, parsley, milk, salt and pepper, and vinegar if using. Crush with a fork to create a coarse paste. Spoon the mixture back into the hollows of the egg whites, until just full and smooth with a knife to create a flat surface. Do not mound the filling up as is usual with deviled eggs. Reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling to use in the dressing.

Mash the reserved filling to a smooth purée in a bowl and whisk in the remaining ingredients for the dressing. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet, and place the eggs stuffed side down, in the skillet. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the eggs are beautifully browned on the stuffed side. Remove, drain and arrange, stuffed side up, on a platter. Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.