Do you have some of these in your fridge? The child in me will never fail to dye Easter eggs, but the Easter Bunny has come and gone and now the grown-up in me must find something to do with them! Should you happen to Google what to do with leftover Easter eggs you will find egg salad, stuffed eggs, and tuna fish. SNOOZE. But wait- how about Caviar Pie? Before you laugh out loud, this appetizer was the height of sophistication in the 80’s AND the 80’s are suddenly ultra cool again. This gives you the chance to be the first of your set to rock the 80’s trend by serving this slightly reinvented classic.
I was thrilled when a friend asked me to a get-together last night and said to bring an appetizer. I knew that although hard-boiled eggs would be part of the plan, they wouldn’t be recycled as egg salad, stuffed eggs, or tuna fish. Looking back through a recipe file, I spotted this old recipe for Caviar Pie, hand written, with a little heart drawn beside it. Today that might mean it’s heart-healthy, but back then I think it just meant that I thought it was pretty good. Anyway, I did remember loving Caviar Pie and it sounded like just the thing for the occasion. The old recipe needed a little tweaking, maybe some lemon and replacing salad bar green onions with a bit of red onion….some sour cream to thin the cream cheese? First step, peel and chop the eggs. Yikes, I used natural vegetable dye, but it penetrated the shells and the peeled eggs were sort of pink and blue. Oh well, part of the ambience…
The recipe seemed a bit more “un-heart healthy” than was called for; so lighter mayo made with olive oil, Neuchâtel cheese, and light sour cream should take it down a notch. The lemon added a punch of flavor and the pink and blue eggs added – I don’t know – a festive touch? We ate every bite, it was scrumptious. You should make this too. Crank up a little Fleetwood Mac, add some Boy George, and top it off with a bit of Billy Ocean, then make a Caviar Pie. You’ll be partying till it’s 1999…and then some!
Ingredients
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped (they don’t have to be blue and pink unless maybe you’re having a baby shower)
¼ cup mayonnaise
Juice of ½ a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ red onion, finely chopped
4 oz Neuchatel or cream cheese
3 Tbsp sour cream
Optional: a couple of dashes of hot sauce
1 jar of caviar from the grocery store – not the specialty store
For serving: crackers and lettuce leaves
Directions
Mix chopped eggs with mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Spread in a pie pan or small casserole.
Top with a thin layer of red onion.
Mix cheese and sour cream, plus hot sauce if desired, and drop by spoonfuls on top of onions.
Carefully spread to cover onions.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve, then top with caviar and enjoy.
Sallie has a Book Signing Thursday, April 4th, 2013, 5:30 PM at Belle Meade Mansion. Come grab a yummy snack.
