When Marnie Hamel and Jen Stevenson’s “Summer: A Cookbook” (Artisan Books) came out last year, it inspired fantasies of seaside cottages, lakeside cabins and idyllic beachy picnics. It may not be summer now, but warm weather is prompting us to page through those picnicky possibilities for spring. We might pack up a Thermos of chilled Cherry Gazpacho, perhaps, and Fantastic Focaccia Sandwiches made with homemade Sungold Tomato and Lemon Thyme Focaccia — and these Jammy Eggs with an Old Bay seasoning-spiked aioli for serving. (Of course, hard-boiled eggs will work, too, and they may travel better.)
“Some people have nightmares about accidentally forgetting their swimsuit on summer vacations,” Hamel and Stevenson confess in the cookbook. “We have nightmares about accidentally forgetting our Old Bay.”
The spice blend is usually used on seafood, but here it flavors a homemade, garlicky aioli that garnishes the eggs.
Jammy Eggs with Old Bay-Oli
Makes 12
INGREDIENTS
1 garlic clove, peeled
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
¼ cup grapeseed oil or canola oil
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, or more to taste
5 shakes of hot sauce, preferably Tabasco, or more to taste
12 large eggs, at room temperature
24 salt-and-vinegar potato chip shards, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
To make the Old Bay-oli: Combine the garlic and salt in a mortar and mash with the pestle until very smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl set on a wet towel shaped into a ring (to hold the bowl in place while you whisk your arm off). Add the egg yolk and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the grapeseed oil, a dribble at a time, until it’s emulsified, and the mixture is thick and creamy. Whisk in the olive oil very slowly, keeping everything nice and creamy. Whisk in the lemon juice, Old Bay and hot sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Cover the aioli and refrigerate until ready to use.
Prepare an ice bath by combining equal parts water and ice cubes in a large bowl. Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to maintain an enthusiastic simmer, then gently place 6 eggs in the saucepan using tongs or a slotted spoon. Boil the eggs for 7 minutes, then transfer them to the ice bath to chill while you boil the remaining 6 eggs.
Tap each chilled egg on a hard surface to gently crack the shell all over, then peel under cold running water, slice in half lengthwise, and place the halves on a serving dish. Repeat to peel the remaining eggs.
Spoon a dollop of the aioli on top of each egg half, then garnish with a potato chip shard (or a whole chip, or a pinch/pile of chip crumbs, or whatever you prefer — you’re the artist). Serve right away with more hot sauce, the rest of the potato chips and cold beer.
— Excerpted from “Summer: A Cookbook” by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2021
