Before there were deviled eggs, there were oeufs Pierre de Lune. If you’ve never heard of them, that’s exactly why Tamar Adler, contributor to Vogue and author of An Everlasting Meal, was researching them in the first place. She just published Something Old, Something New, a collection all about forgotten, lost (and found!) recipes.
She describes the oeufs as:
A dramatic spiced affair, combining sweet cream steeped with a bouquet of scallion, thyme, and cloves; cooked yolks; a chlorophyllic fillip of blanched small lettuces, sorrel, spinach, chervil, parsley; and a single, inscrutable mushroom.
Of course, as its name implies, Something Old, Something New isn’t just about old-school recipes. It’s about reinventing, taking thrown-aside ideas and repurposing them, like turning potato peels into focaccia or coffee grounds into cream pie. Can you tell we’re all about that sort of thing?
So, Adler teamed up with her friend Samin Nosrat (you know Samin!) and gave the oeufs a makeover.
Enter: garlic, anchovies, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon, white wine vinegar, black pepper, and ribbons of romaine. Maybe you’re thinking: 1) Oh, wow! (Same!) And 2) That sounds familiar. (Also same.) This ingredient list is most of the way toward a Caesar salad, whose creamy dressing owes its thickness to—wait for it—eggs. Talk about meant to be.
In the book, Adler says Eggs Pierre De Lune-Nosrat “reach their pinnacle when made with duck eggs.” I got in touch to see what other substitutions she’d recommend:
“You could do herbs instead of romaine. You could do all lemon. You could add capers.”
Yes, please, and thank you. We’ll have to try them all. In the meantime, here’s the original:
| 8 | large eggs |
| 2 | cloves garlic |
| 1/4 | teaspoon kosher salt, plus a tiny bit for garlic |
| 6 | anchovy fillets |
| 1/3 | cup grated Parmesan cheese |
| 1/4 | cup olive oil |
| Juice of 1/2 lemon | |
| 1 | teaspoon white wine vinegar |
| Freshly ground black pepper | |
| 3 | leaves romaine lettuce, very thinly sliced |
| 8 | large eggs |
| 2 | cloves garlic |
| 1/4 | teaspoon kosher salt, plus a tiny bit for garlic |
| 6 | anchovy fillets |
| 1/3 | cup grated Parmesan cheese |
| 1/4 | cup olive oil |
| Juice of 1/2 lemon | |
| 1 | teaspoon white wine vinegar |
| Freshly ground black pepper | |
| 3 | leaves romaine lettuce, very thinly sliced |
What’s your favorite way to gussy up deviled eggs? Tell us in the comments!
Written by: Emma Laperruque
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