Despite its mischievous-sounding name, the deviled egg is about as obedient as you can get when it comes to the text-book American appetizer spread—right up there with spinach dip and brie wrapped in layers of warm puffed pastry.  But when you think about it, whoever came up with the idea to take the yolk out of a hard-boiled egg, mix it up with spices and mayonnaise, and then put it back into the original egg white, was really rather clever. These days, as food costs continue to rise and diners continue to seek out familiar, comforting flavors, the deviled egg makes sense in a restaurant on many levels. So when chef Adam Carpenter's new menu for Jasper's Corner Tap came out with an eyebrow-raising trio of plays on the deviled eggs, I really should've been surprised.

The trio shows what a great canvas the deviled egg makes for other spices and flavors. One of Carpenter's eggs weaves in smokey, peppery romesco; another reinterprets the classic flavors of Caesar salad. At Prospect, chef Ravi Kapur takes his turn at the canvas too, spinning the traditional deviled egg recipe towards Japan by topping the whipped yolk with furikake and toasted sesame seeds. And like Carpenter, Ryan Scott offers several takes on the classic via his3-Sum Eats truck. There's a traditional take with bacon, chives and paprika, and an Asian number with red miso, pickled beech mushrooms and daikon sprouts. Some of these chefs recently agreed to share their modernized deviled egg recipes with all of you. That upcoming pot-luck party just got a lot spicier. 

Of the three deviled egg versions served at Jasper's, this one here with romesco is chef Carpenter's personal favorite. 

Ingredients

8 Large eggs

2 Tbl. Salt

2 Tbl. White vinegar

1 quart water (to cover eggs by 1 inch)

Directions

Put 8 eggs in pot or sauce pan and completely cover with cold water by one inch.

Add 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Place lid on pan and set your burner to high heat.

Once the water boils, turn off the ehat and leave the pot on the hot burner.

Let eggs sit in hot water for 15 minutes.

Pour off hot water and add ice and cold water to cool the eggs.

Wait 20 minutes or so for the eggs to cool completely.

Peel by gently rolling eggs on counter to break shells, then peel while holding under cold running water.

Cut hard boiled eggs in half lengthwise, remove yolks and reserve for the filling.

Place egg whites, cut side up on a plate, with a towel to soak up extra water.

Filling

1 Red Bell pepper

2 Roma tomatoes

3 Cloves of Garlic

Reserved egg yolks

1/4 cup Mayo

1 t. Dijon

1 t Vinegar

1/2 t Cayenne

1/2 t Smoked paprika

1/2 t salt

Pepper to taste

Directions

Cut a red bell pepper in half and remove seeds.

Coat with olive oil, chopped garlic and salt & pepper.

Place on baking dish.

Do the same with one roma tomato.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then remove and let sit to cool for around 5 minutes. Remove skin from both pepper and tomato.

Finely chop pepper & tomato, mashing with the side of the knife to make a puree. (Use food processor if possible). This can be done ahead of time.

The puree needs to be cold before the next step.

Add pureed tomato and pepper to bowl with egg yolks.

Add mayo, dijon mustard, vinegar, cayenne, smoked paprika, 3 dashes tobacco, kosher salt & pepper to taste.

With the back of a fork, mash all ingredients together until smooth. This can also be done in a food processor.

Either spoon mix into waiting egg whites, or pipe using a pastry bag.

Garnish with some slivered almonds (if desired) or chopped parsley