When I imagine the colors of spring, I think of yellows and pinks, grassy greens and pastel blues. Or maybe those are the colors of Easter—or...has Peeps marketing fully conquered my brain? Well, whatever the origin of my associations, the result when transmogrified to deviled-egg form are the little snacks you see here: fragrant cups of egg white filled with a light and bright yolky mixture that's folded with both mayonnaise and crème fraîche, minced tarragon, quick-pickled red onion, Dijon, and lemon juice. Suffice it to say, if you're doing a casting call for vernal deviled eggs, these both look and taste the part.

Deviled eggs are a fairly straightforward food, which means I don't have a ton to say about these, except to offer the following tips:

• Try to find eggs that are not too fresh. The freshest eggs tend to stick to the shell after boiling, making peeling a pain and often resulting in pitted and scarred whites. It's better to use eggs that are a bit older—still good, edible eggs, of course—but not straight from the hen's cloaca (wow, both graphic and safe for work! I impress myself sometimes).
• Get a jump start on your pickled onions. I love what I call rapid pickling, in which onions are submerged briefly in vinegar and left to sit just long enough to soften their texture, tame their raw-onion bite, and give them a bright acidic pop. When you use red onions and red wine vinegar, they turn an amazing shade of magenta, which is especially apt for a spring-themed egg. I recommend getting them started first (here the onion is minced instead of thinly sliced, but otherwise it's exactly the same as the recipe linked in the ingredient list). By the time you've boiled your eggs, the onion should be more or less ready. If you can let them sit a little longer, even better.
• Feel free to just use mayo. I call for a combination of crème fraîche and mayonnaise for the yolky filling, which produces a particularly light and bright result that fits the theme well. But if you have everything you need to make these except the crème fraîche, please go ahead and just use all mayo instead; they'll still be good. You may need to up the lemon juice slightly for a touch of acidity if you do, but otherwise it'll be fine. (To that end, you can also use different herbs—dill or parsley are both good stand-ins for the tarragon, obviously with very different flavors, but none of them will be bad.)

In a large bowl, set up an ice bath by partially filling it with a combination of cold water and ice; set aside. Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil. Carefully lower eggs into pot and continue to boil for 30 seconds. Cover tightly, reduce heat to low (water should maintain a bare simmer), and continue cooking for 11 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer eggs to prepared ice bath and let cool, about 3 minutes. Peel eggs under cool running water, then slice each egg in half lengthwise.

Transfer yolks to a medium bowl. Add mayonnaise, crème fraîche, pickled onion, lemon juice, Dijon, tarragon, and cayenne. Using a fork or sturdy whisk, mash and stir together until thoroughly combined. Season with salt.

Transfer yolk filling to zipper-lock bag or piping bag. Cut off corner of zipper-lock bag or piping bag and pipe filling mixture into egg white halves, overstuffing each hole. Garnish deviled eggs with more minced pickled onion and small tarragon leaves. Serve.

Special Equipment

Slotted spoon, zipper-lock bag or piping bag

Notes

Very fresh eggs tend to have their shells stick to the whites more, making peeling more difficult. Eggs that are slightly older are best for hard boiling.

If desired, you can substitute the crème fraîche in the recipe with additional mayonnaise; you may need to add a touch more lemon juice to balance the flavor.

I live in a Queens neighborhood with a sizable Colombian community. There are two Colombian restaurants and a bakery on three of my block's four street corners, and dozens more on all the blocks beyond that. If I tripped, I'd land face-first on an arepa.

But one arepa I don't see too often even in my neighborhood is an arepa de huevo—a deep-fried corn cake with an egg inside. The beauty of the area de huevo, aside from its flavor, is the range of textures you get from it: potato-chip crisp on the outside, tender (even runny) egg within. I'm at a loss to think of a crispier egg preparation.

A popular breakfast and snack food on Colombia's Caribbean coast, arepas de huevo are easy to make at home with just a little practice. I first learned to make them about twenty years ago, when the Colombian mother of an ex of mine taught me during a visit. I fell for them immediately, and started frying arepa after arepa, both because I wanted to keep eating them, but also because I was having a lot of fun messing around with the yolk doneness levels. There's no right way to cook the egg: Some people, including my ex's mom, like them fully cooked through with a set yolk, but others (like me) love the self-saucing effect of an arepa de huevo with a drippy center.

The process for making them is pretty straightforward. You start by mixing water with masarepa, a pre-cooked corn flour product that is commonly used to make arepas. Then you form that dough into balls, press them flat, and fry them until puffed. After that, you take the arepa out of the oil, let it cool for a minute, then carefully slice a hole in the side near one of the edges. Into this hole you slip a raw egg. Then it goes back into the oil to fry just long enough to cook the egg to your desired doneness.

How to Make Arepas de Huevo

The process, as noted above, is straightforward:

1. Mix water with masarepa.
2. Form the dough into balls, press them flat, and fry them until puffed.
3. Remove from the oil, let cool slightly, then cut a small hole near the edge.
4. Slip in a raw egg, then fry again to cook the egg to your liking.

Here are some tips to guide you through the process:

• Yellow and white masarepa work equally well. Masarepa is sold in both yellow and white variants, depending on the corn used, but the difference is primarily visual. I find the yellow color more striking when fried until crisp and cradling that golden yolk.
• Press the arepas between plastic for ease. This is common technique with tortillas as well, just slice open a zipper-lock bag on two sides and sandwich the ball of arepa dough between it. Then fold the flap of plastic over and press the arepa flat using either a tortilla press or a heavy, flat object like the bottom of a skillet. You can wash and save the plastic between uses.
• Adjust water as needed. If your dough cracks or crumbles, work in more water, one tablespoon at a time until the dough is a bit more malleable and friendly.
• Smooth the arepa edges. After pressing the arepa, it will usually have a jagged edge. Smoothing this edge out will help the arepa fry and inflate evenly. You can do this either with a fingernail through the plastic, or with a wet finger directly on the arepa edge itself.
• Don't make them too large and thin. Without gluten for elasticity, the dough can tear easily. Keep them around three inches in diameter and just under 1/4 inch thick for easy handling. If one falls apart, you can roll it back into a ball and start over.

The arepas don't necessarily need anything extra—they're delicious on their own, maybe with a coffee on the side. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't add condiments: hot sauce, Colombian ají (a fresh salsa served with many foods), and salsa rosada (a mix of mayo and ketchup) are all great options.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together masarepa, water, and salt. Using a clean hand, knead dough until evenly mixed and cohesive, about 1 minute. Let stand 5 minutes.

Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut the sides of a 1-quart or 1-gallon zipper-lock bag so that it is attached only at the bottom fold. In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat at least 2 inches of oil to 330°F (165°C) on an instant-read or fry thermometer. Meanwhile, divide dough into 8 even portions (about 1 3/4 ounces each); if dough is very brittle, mix in an additional 1 tablespoon water to moisten, then divide into balls and cover loosely with a kitchen towel,

Working with one ball of arepa dough at a time, roll between moistened hands to form a uniform ball. Set ball on the opened zipper-lock bag, then fold the bag closed over it. Using a tortilla press or a flat, heavy object like a cutting board or cast iron pan, evenly press down on the dough ball to flatten it into an even circle, roughly 3 inches in diameter and just under 1/4 inch thick. Smooth any jagged edges of the arepa (this can be done by smoothing the edges with a fingernail through the plastic, or with a wet finger directly on the arepa).

Crack 1 large egg into a small (preferably spouted) vessel or cup, being careful not to break the yolk. Season lightly with salt. Very carefully peel arepa from the plastic, taking care not to tear it, and gently lower it into the oil (this is the trickiest part, and it is easy to accidentally tear the uncooked arepa at this point; if you do, just roll it into a ball again, press it between the plastic back into a round, smooth the edges, and try again). Fry the arepa, gently spooning hot oil on top after it rises to the surface, until inflated, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip arepa and fry on second side 1 minute longer. Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully transfer arepa to towels to drain.

When cool enough to handle, use a sharp knife to carefully cut slit into the arepa near the edge and large enough to slide the egg through. While holding the arepa in one hand and gently squeezing it to keep the slit open, very carefully slide the egg into the arepa.

Carefully lower the arepa back into the oil, using the spider or spoon to keep the slit-open side of the arepa slightly elevated until egg beings to set, then lower arepa fully into the oil. Fry until egg is cooked to your desired doneness, 1 to 2 minutes for a runnier yolk and 3 to 4 minutes for a more set one. Transfer to towels to drain once more. Repeat with remaining area dough and eggs. Serve warm.

Special Equipment

Zipper-lock bag; tortilla press or heavy flat object such as a cutting board or cast iron pan; large Dutch oven or pot (for frying); instant-read or fry thermometer

Notes

Masarepa is a type of corn flour that has been pre-cooked and then dehydrated. The ratio of water to masarepa here should work for most brands, but if the package instructions suggest a different ratio for arepas (and specifically arepas de huevo), feel free to follow the product's directions.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Arepas de huevo are best when freshly fried.