In the Prune cookbook, Gabrielle Hamilton advises piercing the tip of each egg with a pushpin to keep prevent exploding while boiling. I skipped this step, but go ahead if you wish.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Using a large slotted spoon or Chinese kitchen spider, gently lower the eggs into the water. Once water returns to a rolling boil, count ten minutes.

While the eggs boil, prepare an ice bath.

Once the ten minutes are up, remove the eggs from the water to the ice bath. I find eggs easier handle with this brief cooling. Crackle the shells on a countertop, then return them to the ice bath. Allow eggs to sit in water about 10 minutes. The ice water stops the eggs from cooking and permeates the shells, making peeling easy.

Most cookbooks suggest peeling eggs under running water. As I live in drought-stricken California, I prefer peeling eggs in the ice bath itself, keeping eggs underwater as I remove the shells. They come away easily.

Have two bowls ready. Fill one with cool water.

Slice the peeled eggs in half. Using either a teaspoon or your very clean fingers, carefully slip yolks into the empty bowl. Place the whites in the bowl of cool water, where any clinging bits of yolk will come free.

Once all the yolks are removed, place whites in refrigerator while you make filling.

To make the filling, gently mash yolks with a potato masher or fork. Stir in the mayonnaise and mustard. Add a little cayenne, tasting as you go: you may want to add more, but there’s no going back on too much. Feel free to add more mayonnaise. I live a mayonnaise and sour cream hater, meaning this filling is quite mustard-forward. If he weren’t eating these, they’d be much, much creamier.

Once the filling is flavored to your liking, remove the whites from the fridge. Turn them upside down on paper towels or clean dish towels and allow them to dry.

You can stuff eggs using a pastry piping bag, should you have such a thing, or jury rig one by spooning filling into a plastic bag and cutting off the tip. Or you can take the lazy way out, as I do, and use a 1/2 teaspoon to scoop mixture into whites.

Eat within three days. Keep refrigerated.

Notes:

Filling variations are many: add a little crème fraîche. Squeeze lemon juice over all. Sliver preserved lemon peel into the filling. Use sweet or spicy pimenton instead of cayenne. Real mayonnaise is always a good thing. Olive oil or butter can replace the mayo.

The water you boiled your eggs in is perfectly useful for other cooking–boiling potatoes, chard, or artichokes, for example. Or allow it to cool and use it to wash dishes.

Filling can be made in food processor, or a mini-processor, though these amounts are so small that it’s hardly worth the washing up.