Pickled Eggs and Beets (Serves 8-10)

If you have lots of hard cooked Easter eggs, here is a dynamite recipe for you to try. Pickled eggs from the German tradition and are a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. The egg whites become quite firm and bright pink or red as they stand in the pickled beet juice.

8 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled
2 (16-ounce) cans sliced beets, drained (reserve 1 cup juice)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
2 bay leaves
10 whole cloves

1. Place the eggs and drained beets in a large non-staining bowl (glass or stainless steel works well).

2. Bring the 1 cup reserved beet juice, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and cloves to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

3. Cook until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes.

4. Pour the beet juice mixture over the eggs and beets, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days. (at 24 hours, the pink color will be halfway through the egg white, while after 48 or more hours the egg white will be fully pink.)

5. To serve, drain the eggs and beets (discard bay leaves and cloves). Slice the eggs in half lengthwise and arrange on a serving platter. Scatter the beets around the eggs. Serve.