Mezcla Deviled Eggs

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: African American, Afro-Caribbean, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, Soul Food

Keyword: deviled eggs, eggs, ham, mezcla

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 16

recommended chilling time (optional): 20

Total Time: 1 36

Servings: servings (1 half each)

Calories: 54kcal

Author: Marta Rivera

A flavorful mix of spiced ham, cheese sauce, cream cheese, and roasted pimento peppers is blended together to create a creamy filling that sits atop hard-boiled egg whites.

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Equipment

Ingredients

12 large eggs at room temperature

For the Mezcla Filling

1/2 15-ounce jar (3/4 cup or 200 grams) jarred cheese sauce (Cheez Whiz)
1/2 12-ounce can (170 grams) spiced ham diced, plus more to garnish
4 ounces (110 grams) cream cheese at room temperature
6 ounces (1/2 cup or 95 grams) chopped roasted red peppers
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) granulated garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) onion powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper optional

Optional Garnishes

roasted red pepper thinly sliced
smoked paprika

Instructions

Hard Boil the Eggs

Add 1 1/2 gallons (4.75 liters) of water to an 8-quart pot.
Set the pot on the stove with the lid on and bring the water to a gentle simmer* over medium-high heat.
Lower the eggs into the simmering water a few at a time using a spider or a slotted spoon. Cover the pot once all of the eggs are in the water.
Allow the eggs to cook in the water for 12 minutes. The water will boil after about 10 minutes, which is fine.
Turn the stove off and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 6 minutes.

Chill the Hardboiled Eggs

Fill a large mixing bowl with a few cups of ice and cold water during the last minute of resting in the hot water.
Submerge the boiled eggs in the bowl of ice water for at least 1 hour to ensure they are really cold.

Peel, Then Prep the Eggs

Use a big spoon to gently tap the eggshells all over to crack them. Return the eggs to the ice bath to allow some water to begin separating the shell from white.
Once all of the eggs’ shells have been cracked, go back and peel each one.
Set the peeled eggs on a paper towel-lined platter or an egg holder to dry them off.
Use a very sharp paring knife to slice off a sliver of the egg white on the widest part (see post for examples). Put the sliver of egg white into a small bowl.
Roll the egg until it stops, which means it’s now on that flat part you just cut.
Cut another thin sliver off of the widest part on this other side. Slice each egg in half lengthwise.
Use the end of a teaspoon to pop the egg yolks out of each half and into the bowl with the egg whites.
Put the halves on a platter in a wide container with an airtight lid and refrigerate them while you prepare the filling.

Prepare the Mezcla Filling

Fit the blade of a food processor into the bowl.
Add the cheese sauce, spiced ham, cream cheese, roasted red peppers, garlic and onion powders, and black pepper to the bowl.
Pulse the mixture 15 times to create a semi-chunky mixture. Stop and scrape down the bowl twice—make sure you get the bottom of the bowl—during this stage.
Add the egg yolks and white slivers to the food processor.
Pulse the mixture another 10 to 12 times to smooth it out, scraping down the bowl halfway through this blending time.
There will be some speckles of egg yolk, but the mixture should be the consistency of semi-thick oatmeal when you’re done.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.
You can use the mezcla now, but I recommend refrigerating it for 20 to 30 minutes to allow it to firm up a bit.

Prepare the Garnishes (Optional)

Thinly slice the remaining spiced ham into two or three 1/8-inch thick slabs.
Broil the ham slices in your air fryer or in the oven for two to three minutes on each side.
Once the slabs are cool enough to handle, dice them into 1/8-inch pieces.
I usually prep the pimento garnish while I wait for the spiced ham to cool completely.
Remove one or two large pieces of the peppers from the jar.
Blot them really well to remove excess liquid from the jar, then thinly slice them 1/4-inch (6mm).

Fill the Egg Whites

Cut 2 inches off of the tip of the piping bag and slide the piping tip into the hole through the top of the piping bag.
Fold over the ends of the piping bag and scrape the mezcla into it. Unfold the top of the bag and shake it to settle the mezcla into the tip.
Twist the top of the bag, hold the twist where it meets the mezcla, and squeeze out a little to “burp” the bag. This burping technique avoids splatters when you begin piping.
Applying medium pressure, squeeze the bag with your dominant hand while guiding it with the other to pipe the filling into the hollow and on most of the egg white.
You can pipe as much or as little of the mezcla as you like.

Garnish the Mezcla Deviled Eggs, Then Serve

Garnish the mezcla deviled eggs with the diced spiced ham and the roasted pimento strips or sprinkle a little smoked or regular paprika over them.
Place the platters of deviled eggs in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them. You should keep deviled eggs in the refrigerator or hold them over ice at 40°F(4°C) at all times unless you’re actively serving them.
Serve the Mezcla Deviled Eggs cold.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:

Replace the spiced ham with the oven-roasted turkey flavor, low sodium spiced ham, or spicy or jalapeño, or plant based spiced ham.
Use pimento cheese spread instead of Cheez Whiz.
Replace the cream cheese with low-fat cream cheese or Neufchâtel.
Use gallon-size freezer storage bags if you don’t piping bags.
You can snip an inch (2.5cm) off the corner of the freezer or piping bag if you don’t have a piping tip.

Tips and Techniques:

*A proper simmer appears as tiny bubbles that don’t break at the water’s surface.
Make Ahead Tips:
- You can boil the eggs for deviled eggs a day ahead and store them (in their shells) in the fridge.
- If you want to prep the egg whites ahead, put the halves in a wide container with an airtight lid and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours.
- You can prepare the mezcla up to 2 days ahead and store it in a covered container in the fridge.
- You can prepare the garnishes a day ahead, but I recommend broiling the spam 30 minutes before garnishing the deviled eggs to retain some of its crispiness.
- You can assemble the mezcla deviled eggs the evening before you serve them, but I recommend assembling them 30 minutes before. This way, you don’t have to find a container big enough to store them covered.
You’ll have mezcla left over from piping since this recipe makes 2 dozen deviled egg halves. You can serve this mezcla on the side in a bowl as a dip with crackers or use it to make sandwichitos de mezcla to serve around the deviled eggs.
I usually prep the garnishes while letting the mezcla firm up in the fridge.
Use any leftover ham in breakfast recipes.

Storage Instructions:

Leftover mezcla can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 4 days.
Store any leftover mezcla deviled eggs in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, in a single layer in a container with an airtight lid. *see post body for detailed packing and storage instructions.*
Refrigerate deviled eggs within 2 hours of serving them. If the eggs have sat at room temp for longer than 2 hours, it’s safest to discard them.
Avoid eating deviled eggs that are discolored or have a very dried-out filling.
If the eggs have a rotten smell or runny goo from under the filling, they must be thrown out.
Mezcla deviled eggs do not freeze well because freezing compromises the texture of the egg whites.

Nutrition