Place the egg yolks, water, hot sauce, lemon juice and zest and salt and pepper in the work bowl of a food processor or blender.

With the motor running, drop by drop, add the olive oil until the mixture begins to thicken (you will see it “catch”). Once the aioli has started to thicken, you can add the oil a bit faster.

Store the aioli, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.

Cut the eggs in half (I like to cut my eggs in half lengthwise. I think they stand up prettier and then each bite has a bit of filling versus cutting across the egg, which results in at least one bite without filling!) You may need to cut a tiny bit of egg from the end so the “egg cup” stands up.

Scoop out the yolks and place in a fine mesh sieve. Rub the yolks through the sieve with your hand. This makes the yolks fluffy and lump free.

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Scoop the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.

Pipe the filling into the “egg cups." Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving.

Suggested garnishes: Additional chives, parsley, sliced truffles, dash of hot sauce, finely minced cooked chicken instead of salmon  

Simply omit the smoked salmon in the above recipe and replace with one of the following:

Chopped chicken + hot sauce + finely minced celery/celery leaves

Shaved truffles

Beef bacon & smoked paprika

Grated horseradish & roast beef & chopped parsley

Avocado + diced tomato/jalapeno + cilantro