“What is that?” That’s the reaction I heard repeatedly over the weekend when one of our kids or their friends opened the refrigerator. Clearly, a fuchsia colored jar of pickled eggs and beets is not an item they had ever seen in the refrigerator they know and love so well. Even my husband was a little wary.
I’m not sure what sparked my desire to pickle some eggs a few days ago but after I submerged the eggs and beets into sweet-sour brine I could hardly wait to see how they would turn out. Finally this morning I removed the jar from the refrigerator and opened the lid. I fished out a purple egg and carefully cut it in half to see what magic the beautiful, beet- infused liquid had worked. Gorgeous! And after a bite or two I was smiling. The eggs and beets were every bit as delicious as I had hoped.
Pickling eggs is easy and I urge you to give it a try. Now that I’ve made these I’m already planning to make them again for picnics or potlucks this summer.
Pickled eggs and beets, a recipe loosely adapted from Emeril Lagasse
Ingredients:
- 1 pound red beets, stems and leaves removed
- 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon pickling spice
- 6 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced
- Fresh dill sprigs, garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Wrap the beets tightly in aluminum foil and roast until tender, 1 to 1 ½ hours. Remove from the oven, uncover, and let sit until cool enough to handle. When cool, slip the skins from the beets and cut into bite-size pieces.
In a non-reactive saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, and pickling spice. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let sit for 2 hours for the flavors to develop. Add the eggs, onions, garlic, and beets and turn to coat evenly. Cover tightly and refrigerate, turning occasionally, until the eggs are a deep pink color, at least 8 hours and up to 3 or 4 days. (The longer they stay in the liquid the more the more color will penetrate into the egg. I did mine for 3 days.)
To serve, remove the eggs, beets, and onions from the marinade and arrange on a platter. Garnish with sprigs of dill and serve with sliced French bread.
