There are probably hundreds of pickled egg recipes. The recipe may seem a little old-school at first, as eggs go well with herring, boiled potatoes and sour cream, even so, it’s still a real gem on the party table. And what is there to hide, eggs pickled with beetroot look beautiful, so we decided to conduct an experiment.
Pickling brine:
- 500 g of boiled beets (beetroot juice is also suitable for use)
- 400 ml water
- 100 ml Wösel Apple Cider Vinegar (Apple Cider Vinegar with Honey is also perfect)
- 1 tbsp. sea salt
- 1–1.5 tbsp. unrefined cane sugar
- 2 tsp. pink pepper
Eggs and filling:
- 10 chicken eggs
- 40 g mild-tasting high-quality mayonnaise
- 25 g butter
- Mustard with the tip of a knife, Põltsamaa Strong Mustard is suitable, as is a slightly milder Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar (optional)
- Salt, pepper
First, the eggs must be hard boiled, 10 minutes is more than enough. As always, after boiling, hot water must be poured away from the eggs and cold water must be put on so that the eggs cool, helping the shell to come off better. It’s quite important that the shell comes off the eggs properly. If the shell tears an egg with it, the egg will remain uneven, and the aesthetic side of the festive dish will suffer greatly. However, if you should run into such stubborn eggs, don’t despair. It doesn’t change the taste.
I decided to make a fairly concentrated pickling brine and did not use excess liquid. I poured 400 ml of water into a pot, added salt, sugar and pink pepper. I let the brine boil for a moment and removed it from the heat, then added pre-boiled beets (I used boiled beets packaged in vacuum packaging and sold in the store, which I chopped myself into bite-sized pieces). I let the brine boil with the beetroot again.
If you feel that too much water evaporated during cooking, add about 50 ml. Lastly, add 100 ml of vinegar. You can let the brine cool in a pot with the beets and continue later, or, if you are impatient like me, transfer the hot brine with the beets to a heat-resistant higher container. I used a jar with a diameter of 15 cm, on which you can also twist on a lid. If you are dealing with a hot brine, be sure to be careful not to burn yourself.
If the brine with the beets has cooled to such a temperature that you can add eggs to it, then 10 eggs should be placed between the pieces of beets and beautifully hidden. It is important that the eggs are covered with brine or a slice of beets and are not allowed to float on the surface of the liquid. This allows the seasoning to do its job and the eggs will turn a beautiful colour. Transfer the brine with the eggs to the fridge.
If there is not enough time to prepare the eggs, then 4–5 hours will be enough to achieve a beautiful colour. At the same time, the eggs will require a little longer to season. 18–24 hours is a fairly optimal time. I once kept the eggs in the brine for three days, the result was that the egg white turned pink all over, the egg yolk is also not left untouched. If you make a filling from it, the result will be a strong orange colour. At the same time, eggs stored in brine for three days are tasty enough that if there is no special reason to prepare the filling, an egg of this type is ideal for a quick bite, for example, next to boiled potatoes and herring, or simply with a salad.
There are also an array of filling recipes. I propose the following:
Carefully cut the pickled eggs in half lengthwise, remove the yolks and transfer them to a narrower container with high edges. Adding them to a bowl is also suitable, if you want to prepare the egg mass with a fork. I am a devoted proponent of the hand blender, so I add all the components to one narrow container, which allows me to quickly break up the yolks with the blender and mix them with mayonnaise.
When the uniform mass is ready, I add salt and pepper. The amount of salt should be enough to allow you to taste the salty flavour. Add a little mustard with the tip of a knife. I also added 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the egg mass. This is optional, and adding, for example, a little curry is also optional.
I added the filling to the pink egg whites with a piping bag; however, if one is not handy, a spoon can also be used. Garnish the eggs, for example, with parsley and fish roe. If the eggs are not salty enough, you can gently sprinkle salt on top of the ready-made eggs.
I won’t let the beetroot go to waste, either. If there is a party table and eggs, then also offering herring is not out of place. I like to eat a lot of things raw, so I line the herring platter first with baby spinach leaves, placing pickled beets, onion rings, and herring slices on top, and finally adding sour cream. The combination goes well with eggs.
WHAT DOES THE BRINE TASTE LIKE?
In terms of its taste, the brine should be sweet-sour, and there should be enough salt, because the egg will definitely taste better if there is sufficient salt in the brine. The brine is very beetroot in colour.
TIP!
There is quite a lot of vinegar in the finished brine, and when stored in the fridge, it will keep beautifully for several days. If I quickly prepare some eggs in a maximum of 24 hours, I add others to the same brine. Using the brine for more than three days is not recommended.
It’s also very exciting to pickle quail eggs with beets, they absorb the colour quickly and are well suited as a decoration for a green salad.
How do you like our eggs pickled with beetroot and apple cider vinegar recipe?
