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Egg and Caviar Spread

Source of Recipe

From "The Southern Sympathy Cookbook" by Perre Coleman Magness


Recipe Introduction

"I decided to include this recipe because it is something I often saw at fancy grown-up parties when I was a child, so it always seemed quite sophisticated to me. When I made this recently to test it for this book, one friend looked at the layer of caviar and said, 'This must be for the dead people you really liked.' That being said, there is no need to use the finest caviar - the domestic stuff you find at the grocery store is perfectly fine."

List of Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 4 green onions, white and light green parts
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh dill fronds
• 4 Tbsp (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 (3½-ounce) jar black caviar


Recipe

Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with water by about an inch. Place over high heat and when the water comes to a boil, cook the eggs for 7 minutes. Fill a bowl with ice and cold water. When the 7 minutes are up, remove the eggs with a slotted spoon to the ice water. Leave to cool for 45 minutes. When the eggs are cooled, roll them on the counter to crack the shells all over and peel. Rinse with cool water to remove any stray shell pieces and pat dry.

Cut the green onions into small pieces and drop in the bowl of a food processor. Add the dill and pulse to break everything up into very fine pieces, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl, then cut the eggs in half and drop them in the bowl. Add the lemon zest, salt, and pepper and pulse until everything is finely chopped, but with a few larger pieces of egg visible. Add the mayonnaise, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing just until the mixture comes together in a firm paste.

Scoop some of the egg mixture into a 6-inch mold (see Note) and use the back of a slightly dampened spoon to spread it in an even layer. Repeat until all the egg mixture is tightly packed into the mold, then smooth the top and wipe off the edges. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture, then place a small bowl on top to weigh it down. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but it will keep for up to two days.
Unmold the mixture onto a platter and spoon the caviar in an even layer on top. Serve with baguette slices or crackers.

Serves 20


• Note:
I love to make this in a 6-inch mini springform pan or mini tart pan, but if you don't have one, a small bowl with a flat bottom is fine. Remember you need a flat top to spread the caviar. I've also used a small square glass storage container. Line the bowl with plastic wrap, smoothing it out as much as possible, then fill with the egg mixture and bring the plastic wrap over the top to cover. Unmold and proceed as above.