Cucumber-Basil Egg Salad

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Taste memories are fascinating reminders of moments we long to recapture. For me, egg salad is the most vibrant taste memory I have. My grandmother would pick me up from school and I could always look forward to a bowl of egg salad awaiting me. It's not only the taste of the egg salad that I remember but the flood of warm, cozy memories I recall. For me egg salad never goes out of style.

Hard-cooking eggs is the thing to master for this recipe. The secret to hard-cooked eggs is in the selecting and cooking technique. Purchase your eggs a week ahead of cooking so that they will be mature and easier to peel. They will also be less likely to crack while cooking. If you boil the eggs or overcook them, you may end up with unappetizing gray circles around the yolks. The technique below is fail-proof. Make sure to use a large pan so that the eggs aren't crowded. Cool the eggs under cold running water. Crack, but don't peel them until right before preparing.

Simple egg salad can get a bit boring so I like to find tasty variations. In "Chicken and Egg," a new cookbook by Janice Cole concentrating on yes, chicken and eggs, you'll find this summery version with crisp, refreshing diced cucumber, green onions and fresh chopped basil leaves. The author recommends serving it surrounded by greens or tucked into pita loaves or slices of crusty bread for a satisfying lunch.

Cucumber-Basil Egg Salad

Reprinted with permission from "Chicken and Egg," by Janice Cole (Chronicle Books, 2011)

Serves 6.

6 extra large eggs

3/4 cup seeded, diced cucumbers (about 1/2 cucumber)

1/4 cup minced shallots

1/2 cup sliced green onions (green part only)

3 tablespoons lightly packed chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Place the eggs in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring just to a rolling boil. As soon as the water reaches a rolling boil, turn off the heat and cover for 10 minutes. Put the eggs in a strainer and run cold water over them. Crack them all over to peel them and refrigerate until chilled.

2. Dice the cooled, peeled eggs and place in a medium bowl.

3. Gently combine cucumbers, shallots, green onions and basil in the bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Taste for seasoning and serve.

 

Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks (click here), including "Seriously Simple Holidays: Recipes and Ideas to Celebrate the Season," and also a James Beard award-winning radio show host.

 

Twitter: @ihavenet

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Copyright © 2011, Diane Rossen Worthington. Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc.