Deviled Eggs with Chipotle

Fresh eggs are harder to peel after boiling. In a very fresh egg, the inner membrane sticks tightly to the white and tears it when you try to remove the shell. As eggs age over about a week, the pH of the white rises slightly and the membrane pulls away from the white more easily, making peeling far cleaner. This is the same reason that the hard-boiled eggs from a carton bought 2 to 3 weeks before their use-by date peel more reliably than eggs bought that morning. If you only have very fresh eggs, add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to the cooking water — it raises the pH artificially and helps.

Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeños — the smoking process gives them their characteristic dark colour and deep, woody, slightly chocolatey smokiness. 'Adobo sauce' in this context is the canned version: the peppers are packed in a thick, tangy sauce of tomatoes, onion, vinegar, garlic, and spices. You get two flavours in one tin: the heat and smoke of the pepper, and the savoury, slightly sour depth of the sauce. They're a standard pantry item in Mexican cooking and easily found in most supermarkets in the international foods aisle.

The fastest method is to push the yolks through a fine-mesh sieve with the back of a spoon — this breaks up every lump mechanically before you add the mayonnaise. Then whisk the filling rather than mashing it. A small immersion blender gives a very smooth result but can also make the filling slightly sticky if over-processed. The least effective method is just a fork, which leaves small lumps of yolk visible in the filling. For a party, smooth filling that pipes neatly makes a much better visual impression.

The eggs can be hard-boiled and peeled up to 3 days ahead; store them whole in the fridge submerged in cold water, which keeps the whites from drying out. The filling can be made a day ahead; store it in a piping bag or zip-lock bag in the fridge. Assemble — pipe and garnish — no more than 2 hours before serving. Assembled deviled eggs left longer than that start to look dried out and the whites become rubbery. If you need to hold them for a party, cover the platter tightly with plastic wrap laid directly against the surface of the eggs.

The chipotle filling is very friendly to additions. A tablespoon of crème fraîche or sour cream adds tang and makes the filling lighter. A teaspoon of honey balances the smokiness with sweetness — this is particularly good. Finely minced red onion or pickled jalapeño stirred into the filling adds texture. For the topping: crispy chorizo crumbles, a tiny piece of pickled jalapeño, a dot of hot sauce, a sliver of avocado, or crumbled cotija cheese all work. If you want to go further: replace the lime with orange and add a teaspoon of toasted cumin — the whole flavour profile shifts toward something more Oaxacan.