Egg-cellent!

I don't know where it came from, but over the last month I've been craving egg salad. Well, truth be told, I am actually craving the triumvirate of mayo-based salads: egg salad, tuna salad, and chicken salad. I ate these things as a kid, but I really haven't had any of these in years and years and years, and certainly have never made any of them. So I figured it was some kind of cosmic sign when I picked up the 2008 version of Cook's Illustrated American Classics issue which included, you guessed it, recipes for egg salad, tuna salad, and chicken salad. Egg salad it was!

The beauty of these kinds of salads is that you can really get as creative as you want to be. I stuck with the classic mayo as a binder, but you really could substitute a variety of other ingredients such as sour cream, yogurt, or even cottage cheese. I deviated from tradition by skipping the celery (anything crunchy is suspect with my four-year-old), using baby leeks instead of red onion, and adding capers. The result? Yum! Even better is that it takes no time to make. I did the entire thing in 20 minutes (that includes hardboiling the eggs). If the kids like it, I am going to add this to my repertoire of foods for them. Of course if they don't like it, there will be more for me! I win either way.


Courtney's Egg Salad
makes about 2 cups

6 hard boiled eggs, cooled, peeled and diced
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of diced baby leeks (you could use scallions instead)
2 1/2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
2 tablespoons of capers, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

-- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl
-- Serve on bread or alone

Now to tackle tuna salad...