Oeufs mimosa

The mimosa tree, its fluffy yellow blossoms a harbinger of spring, has loaned its name not only to a Champagne cocktail but also to the French version of deviled eggs. The eggs are stuffed and topped with of tiny pieces of yolk meant to resemble mimosa flowers. The filling includes parsley or other herbs. It’s a great dish to serve at this time of year — cheery, light and bright. And by the way, it’s also a great way to recycle Easter eggs.

Oeufs mimosa / Eggs ‘Mimosa’

I should note that in France, Easter eggs are usually made of chocolate — and, children are told, they are brought not by a bunny but by… bells! According to this story, when the church bells stop ringing on Good Friday and Holy Saturday in a sign of mourning, they fly off to Rome. When they return on Easter Sunday, they distribute the chocolate eggs in the garden for children to find. (This can make for amusing moments in midsummer when a forgotten chocolate egg, thoroughly melted, is suddenly found.)

Eggs, a symbol of rebirth and renewal, have played a ceremonial role in springtime since antiquity. Before the Easter egg there was the Passover egg, which continues to this day to grace the Seder plate. In Russia, the jeweled Fabergé egg is a spin-off of traditional painted eggs, and the tradition continues in the form of beautifully decorated wooden eggs. The French nobility used precious metals to decorate Easter eggs until the advent of affordable chocolate. These days the chocolate eggs are wrapped in colorful aluminum foil. And what of the Easter bunny? There is a French version, in Alsace, but the bunny is a hare.

Getting back to oeufs mimosa, the eggs may be served on their own as a first course, or as part of a larger hors d’oeuvres spread. If serving them as the start of a French-style Easter lunch, you could follow up with roast chicken or leg of lamb and a green salad. For vegetarians, one choice might be pasta with saffron, arugula and walnuts. Dessert could be as simple as strawberries with cream or, for a fancier touch, you could add a meringue.

If you’d like to kick off festivities with the other kind of mimosa, fill champagne flutes with 1/3 orange juice (fresh squeezed, of course) and 2/3 Champagne (or — shh! — another sparkling wine). It is traditional, but not necessary, to add a teaspoon of Grand Marnier or triple sec to each glass before topping up with the sparkly. For a blushing mimosa, add a teaspoon of grenadine syrup, then top with Champagne.

Happy cooking!

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