Looking for party/finger-food recipes that use eggs

December 4, 2013 12:25 PM

Due to a series of odd events, I find myself in possession of several cartons of eggs, way more than I will be able to eat over the next week or so. Coincidentally, I will be going to a party on Friday and have agreed to contribute to the "finger-food only" buffet. I have a decent recipe for basic deviled eggs, but what else can I make that can be picked up and eaten without the use of utensils? I'm a decent intermediate cook, and have access to most ingredients. Both savory or sweet suggestions would be most welcome, as would recipes that don't particularly "feature" the eggs, so long as they get used up. Bonus points for things that can be made today or tomorrow and served on Friday night, although I will have most of the day on Friday to cook if necessary.
posted by rpfields to Food & Drink (27 answers total)

Mini fillo shells are perfect for this. Make several different varieties of one-bite quiche. I've had good luck doing shrimp and buffalo chicken varieties, but you could really go anywhere with this.
posted by jbickers at 12:28 PM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

Scotch eggs are novel and fun, depending on the crowd. Pickled eggs. Smoked eggs. Tea eggs (beautiful, people LOVE these). Make a big egg tortilla (Spanish style, with potatoes and onions), cut it into cubes to serve. Scrambled eggs nestled in smoked salmon. Mini cups of mouse, custard, or anything sweet that uses up lots of eggs. Tiny meringue pies would be perfect for this, since they use both yolks and whites.

(Also, eggs keep a really long time in the fridge—like several weeks. Don't feel like you need to eat them all)
posted by peachfuzz at 12:29 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

how about merengues or macarons? both are versatile - you can get really creative with the flavor combinations you create! Also a fun challenge to whip merengue by hand.
posted by lettuce dance at 12:33 PM on December 4, 2013

I came in to suggest baby quiche as well. Or, if you are feeling especially low-energy, you could skip the shell altogether and cook baby frittatas in a muffin pan!

Basically mix the eggs, whatever tasty fillings you happen to have, some heavy cream and a bit of cheese together and bake!
posted by chatongriffes at 12:33 PM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

Mini custard pies would be awesome. If bringing drinks is an option, homemade eggnog usually goes over well.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:33 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

mini quiches

deviled eggs with a little curry powder mixed in
posted by belladonna at 12:33 PM on December 4, 2013

Tamagoyaki. Tastes good cold, too, so you can make well ahead and keep in the fridge.

But yeah, eggs will keep for weeks to months.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:33 PM on December 4, 2013

Ham and cheese puffs are my go-to finger food, and they use eggs.

Also: merengues!! And you can make custard (oooh, in little pie crusts!) with the yolks so you don't feel as bad using only part of the eggs -- or you don't have to feel bad at all since you have so many.
posted by mibo at 12:33 PM on December 4, 2013

Little custard egg tarts?
posted by troika at 12:35 PM on December 4, 2013

Pasteis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts) are AMAZING. You can use pre-made puff pastry, as in this easy-peasy recipe. (Leftover egg whites can go in your own omelettes.)

If you have room in your fridge, eggs will be just fine for a week or 2 past their "best buy" date in the fridge. If you're super-cautious, you can check if the egg will float and/or crack it separately from any recipes.

(I asked a similar question a few years back. See if any of these answers are helpful.)
posted by maudlin at 12:35 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Oh, and my recommendation for all things: gougeres. Bonus: freeze them raw and bag them, you can cook as many as you like at any time later.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:35 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Fried eggs are delicious on EVERYTHING, thought difficult as finger food (and not so good preheated if that's a requirement. I always thought it would be cool to serve these bacon cups with a little round of toast and a fried egg inside. Alternatively, with a bit of romaine salad and a scoop of egg salad.
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 12:36 PM on December 4, 2013

Best answer: LISTEN UP, HOMESLICE: you wanna do mini-quiches AND mini-custards. You do NOT need a recipe for either. You crack open all those eggs and beat 'em to within an inch of their lives. You separate the beaten eggs into two containers.

- In ONE container, you add approximately 1/3 or 1/2 of the total volume of eggs' worth of heavy cream. You stir in sugar to taste (yes, you can taste the raw eggs: live dangerously!). You add a pinch of salt, a glug of vanilla, perhaps some fresh raspberries.

- In the OTHER container, you add a generous glug of cream, some salt and pepper, and Something Fruity/Veggie, Something Cheesy, and Something Fancy (broccoli/cheddar/bacon! Spinach/Gruyere/almond! Fig/chevre/pancetta!).

- You line some muffin tins (ideally mini ones) with paper liners, generously greased. You pour each liner 1/2 full of your various batters. You bake at 375 in a preheated oven until they're golden and puffy.
posted by julthumbscrew at 12:37 PM on December 4, 2013 [18 favorites]

You could use the yolks for creme brulee and the whites for either meringue cookies or mini angel food cakes.

Or make lemon meringue tarts.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:37 PM on December 4, 2013

Best answer: We LOVE Shoyu Tamago. They're easy-peasy, fun and tasty.

Also nthing mini-quiches.
posted by dlugoczaj at 12:46 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

I second the recommendation of gougeres (a.k.a. cheese puffs). They're pretty easy, and you can make them ahead and just reheat them, or make the dough earlier that day and bake them at the last minute. They're always really popular and easy-to-eat, and they go well with cocktails and wine (if it's that kind of party).
posted by pompelmo at 1:13 PM on December 4, 2013

Came to say "egg bake," but julthumbscrew has it nailed down. Or screwed down, I suppose.

Bake them as close to serving as possible-- they deflate whenever I make them.
posted by Sunburnt at 1:20 PM on December 4, 2013

What about crepes? They work with both sweet and savory fillings. To make them finger food appropriate, you can roll them up with filling, then cut into slices, or fold them into quarters to make those little pocket things.
posted by ernielundquist at 1:22 PM on December 4, 2013

Seconding angel food cake, maybe served in slices with preserves or compote? This recipe takes 12 egg whites!
posted by mochapickle at 1:26 PM on December 4, 2013

Oh, just a side note: my guidelines - which you can modify as much as you want; I'm not like The Food Dictator or anything - will produce a very rich, firm, eggy custard, because people are gonna be wandering around and eating 'em, and sturdiness trumps delicate/silky texture.
posted by julthumbscrew at 1:29 PM on December 4, 2013

This recipe for angel food cake also requires a dozen egg whites -- and it's chocolate!
posted by Rash at 1:57 PM on December 4, 2013

The Choc Star Ultra Fudge Brownie recipe included in this article from the Independent requires six eggs and is outstandingly good. You can make it tonight; kept in a sealed container, whatever you haven't eaten will still be good by Friday.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:59 PM on December 4, 2013

Response by poster: Yum! Thanks everybody. I've started a batch of Shoyu Tamago and will also try julthumbscrew's sweet and savory mixtures. I marked those "best answer" because they are the first on my list, but I am pretty sure I will be using every idea here in the not-too-distant future.

[If you've got more, please keep 'em coming... Like I said, I have a LOT of eggs.]
posted by rpfields at 3:06 PM on December 4, 2013

My Joy of Cooking book has a recipe for Angel Food cake that uses a dozen egg whites -- I usually make it with egg nog, which uses up all of the yolks. Both good at a party (can make angel cupcakes if slices are too big).
posted by Margalo Epps at 5:41 PM on December 4, 2013

People always like it if there are two or three different flavors of deviled eggs that are visually distinct, so they can try both. Add a big squirt of Sriracha to some to make them exciting and red. The very most popular variation I've tried contained sour cream and chopped fresh mushrooms that has been cooked in butter with some curry powder, decorated with a tiny fresh dill leaf.
posted by Ery at 7:15 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Definitely deviled eggs... Better yet... pretty pink deviled eggs. But if you get stuck with eggs, you can freeze them...
posted by hydra77 at 10:53 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

I forgot to mention: in my experience, Shoyu Tamago are better if you make them the day before you want to eat them. The soy sauce has a longer chance to settle into the eggs.
posted by dlugoczaj at 11:35 AM on December 6, 2013 [1 favorite]