Deviled Eggs with Tomato & Herb Relish

In memory of my friend Linda, plain but plain-delicious deviled eggs, jazzed up with a dab of Tomato & Herb Relish and surrounding a mound of tiny tomatoes.

Real Food, Fast & Flexible. Year-Round Kitchen Staple. Budget Friendly. Potluck & Party Friendly. Scales from Small Plates to Large Platters. Low Carb. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Vegetarian. Naturally Gluten Free.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

Dear Readers,

This is an open letter to the husband and son of my dear friend Linda Behrends, who died on June 28 after a long illness.

It’s a fact of life that as we grow older, we will lose friends. But when my friend Linda died last week, it was a first for me and frankly, I struggled to express the loss. I told my sister, “Because of her illness, none of my other friends knew her. Because she wanted me to ignore her illness, I didn’t get to tell her how much she meant to me. I just don't know what to DO with all this sadness.”

Ever-wise, Adanna suggested, “Maybe you should write a column.”

So please bear with me as I publicly mourn the passing of the woman who privately and enthusiastically encouraged me during the too-short years of our friendship. In Kitchen Parade and A Veggie Venture both, Linda figures in one recipe after another, first as "my new friend Linda" and soon "my dear friend Linda" – and now here, in farewell.

An Open Letter

Jim, we’ve met just once and Jeff, we’ve never met. But I feel as if I know you both, hearing so much about you from your wife and mom. I’m so sorry for your loss.

I would like you to know how much she meant to me, how I regret not making the chance to tell her myself, how much her loss hurts me, too.

We met in 2006 admiring hats at a ladies’ hat luncheon in Forest Park. Mine was pastel and girly with flowers, hers was vintage and sophisticated, inherited from her mother. Only by accident did we learn, in parting, that we both figured in the St. Louis food community, she as the city’s top stylist, I as a columnist. We made a quick exchange of cards and thus did a friendship begin.

Soon we went to lunch where I watched her with glistening eyes.

You see, she reminded me so much of my own mother, four years gone. Just like my mom, Linda had a polished look, a sense of style, a head of shiny salt and pepper hair and a big, easy laugh. She was a Home Ec grad, too, and just like my mom, made her living in the field she loved when many of their generation stayed home to raise their children.

These likenesses appeared again and again. Too often, I’d blurt out, “Oh Linda, you remind me so much of my mother.” I worried she’d think our friendship was based on that single dimension.

When Linda’s illness returned, she asked me to come over, she needed to talk, to be distracted. We sat at your dining room table, flitting from one subject to the next as we were so prone to do. That was the last time we spoke at length about her illness, the toll that it and its treatments would take on her. I was, you see, the friend she designated to ignore the obvious, to conduct our friendship as if life were normal rather than one test and one hospital stay after another.

Throughout it all, Linda encouraged me professionally and personally.

When she was curious about food blogs, she invited me to speak of my experience to a group of local food writers.

When I organized a plating, styling and photography workshop for St. Louis bloggers, she inspired us with insider tips from a professional stylist.

When I had a recipe question, she shared her own.

When I’d visit, she’d send me home with a cookbook or two, ones she knew I’d like.

When I fell in love, too fast, too soon, she encouraged me to “just have fun."

When I shared recipes on Kitchen Parade and A Veggie Venture, she read and commented on nearly every one.

One day I had big news; my journal from that day reads, “I am so excited about this. I called Linda (and got teary, missing Mom, knowing it would have been her I’d have called …), Linda is excited for me too.”

To the end, Linda remained wholly Linda, vibrant and social. On Fathers Day, she organized tickets to Wicked and dinner at a new restaurant for four of us, happily holding court, making sure the conversation didn’t founder, making connections among people meeting for the first time.

As we parted, I hugged her thin-thin but still smartly dressed body, hoping that we just might hang onto her for a few more months.

It was not to be. A week later, she was gone.

Your lives, Jim and Jeff, now confront the gaping hole a remarkable woman leaves. While our grief cannot compare to yours, please know her many friends share your loss, I among them.

Linda was my friend. I was lucky to know her even if I didn't say so out loud.

Goodbye, my friend. Rest in peace. You shall not be forgotten.

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DEVILED EGGS with TOMATO & HERB RELISH

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes
Makes 24 dozen deviled egg halves

• 1 dozen hard-cooked eggs (how to make Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs)

FILLING
• 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• Salt & Pepper to taste

TOMATO & HERB RELISH
• 1 Roma tomato, seeds removed & chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped
• 1 tablespoon capers

• 8 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes

MAKE the FILLING Cut the eggs in half lengthwise, then gently scoop out the yolks into a small mixing bowl. If a white cracks or breaks, no problem, just toss it into the bowl too. Add the Filling ingredients, then use a fork to mash it all up until smooth. The filling may be made ahead of time, just refrigerate until ready to fill.

FILL the EGGS An hour or so before serving, use two small spoons (one to scoop, one to scrape) or a pastry bag with a wide decorating tip (see TIPS) to fill the eggs with the filling.

ARRANGE Combine the Relish ingredients in a small bowl. Arrange the egg halves around a rimmed dish and top each half with a bit of relish. Mound the tomatoes in the center. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then serve and savor!

ALANNA’s TIPS I like Deviled Eggs on the plain side, so the Tomato & Herb Relish adds color and vibrancy to the plate. If you have one of those deviled egg plates that holds exactly 12 eggs, be sure to boil two or three extra eggs because one or two always break. I have the best luck filling deviled eggs with a pastry bag. But do use a wide tip, otherwise the pickle relish will clog up and suddenly the filling mixture will be spurting all over. Trust me on this, it makes a mess. ☺ No pastry bag? No problem, just fill and seal a freezer bag, snip a corner and squeeze away! After a slightly richer filling? Do try the wonderful Estonian Deviled Eggs.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half: 47 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 106mg Cholesterol; 75mg Sodium; 2g Carb; 0g Fiber; 1g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 1 & SmartPoints 1 & Freestyle 0 & myWW green 1 & blue 0 & purple 0

Inspired by a recipe from Linda, not so much the eggs themselves, but the presentation. Linda always had a special way to present food, never fussy, always natural and organic, a touch of this and a touch of that. It’s just one of many ways she touched my life.

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Food Styling Workshop in St. Louis

These are some of the St. Louis food bloggers who attended a 2006 workshop where Linda did a session on food styling.

• Left to right, top row: Gunjan from Vyanjanaa (no longer blogging); me (Alanna Kellogg); food stylist and consultant Linda Behrends in the bright jacket
• Middle row: Lisa from Champaign Taste (switched her blog to private access); Karen from FamilyStyle Food; Nupur from One Hot Stove
• Bottom row: Bruno from Bruno's Dream; Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen who traveled all the way from Salt Lake City and was dubbed an honorary St. Louis food blogger!

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More Recipes from Linda

~ Rock-Star Fried Chicken ~
~ Peach Appetizer ~
~ Beef Tacos with Cucumber & Mango Salsa ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ Cream of Zucchini Soup ~
where Linda tells about the thrill of meeting Julia Child
~ Homemade Zucchini Relish ~
~ Melon Blueberry Feta Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette ~
~ Autumn Slaw with Apples & Bacon ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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