Flay's Recipes For Leftover Easter Eggs

This time of year, you find a lot of hard-boiled eggs in Easter baskets -- but what do you do with them after the holiday?

The Early Show's resident chef, Bobby Flay, has some delicious recipes using leftover Easter eggs -- recipes sure to keep the whole family smiling!

Flay uses "hard-cooked" eggs. They're not the same as "hard-boiled" eggs. Hard-cooked eggs use slower, lower heat than boiling water. That enables the eggs to cook much more evenly, and prevents them from becoming "rubbery."

Flay's hard-cooking technique is explained beneath the suggestions below.

A few tips before you start hard-cooking eggs:

Use some older eggs, because it's easier to peel older eggs than fresh ones. The No. 1 rule is to use eggs that are at least five-days-older than their packing date.

If you've cooked a batch that are difficult to peel, try putting them in the refrigerator for a few days. That should make them easier to peel.

Always use a small saucepan: Eggs with too much space to move could hit one another while cooking and crack.

Never have the water fast boiling; a gentle simmer is all that's needed. Remember that eggs have a pocket at their wide end where air collects and, when boiling, pressure can build up and cause cracking. A simple way to deal with this is to make a pinprick in the rounded end of the shell, enabling the steam to escape.

The cooked eggs will store for up to three days in a covered container in the refrigerator.

RECIPES

Hard-Cooking Eggs

Place eight large eggs in a small saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat on the stove or grates of the grill. Cover, remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain the eggs, cover with cold water and let sit for another 5 minutes and drain again. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Spanish Spiced Deviled Eggs

8 large eggs, hard cooked
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons prepared mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely diced Spanish or red onion
1 tablespoon smoked paprika, plus more for garnishing
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Remove the shell from each egg. Slice each egg in half lengthwise and carefully remove the yolk from each egg. Place the yolks in a medium bowl and mash with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, onion, 2 teaspoons of the paprika, chives and parsley and stir until combined; season with salt and pepper.
2. Carefully spoon mixture back into the egg white halves and sprinkle the tops of each with more paprika.

Egg & Crab Salad on Toasted Bread

1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
2 green onions, thinly sliced
8 hard cooked eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 ounces jumbo lump crab meat, picked over
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, poppy seeds, dill, and onions in a large bowl. Add the eggs and crab meat and gently fold to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Grilled Asparagus and Egg Salad with Tarragon-Caper Vinaigrette

Serves: 6

1-1/2 pounds medium asparagus, trimmed
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
4 hard cooked eggs, whites and yolks separated, whites finely chopped
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons capers, drained
6 cornichons, chopped

1. Heat your grill to high.
2. Brush the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with pepper. Lay the asparagus crosswise on the grates and grill until just cooked through, 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and place on a platter.
3. Combine the cooked egg yolks, vinegar, water, tarragon, and ? teaspoon pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the capers and cornichons.
4. Spoon the vinaigrette over the asparagus then sprinkle with the egg whites.