My Neighbors are Dead: The Omen’s Deviled Egg Salad Sin-wiches

So probably too long ago (forgive me, folks, the Photobucket fail of 2017 put me 3-4 weeks behind schedule) Producer Nate Dufort contacted me about reviewing his improv-comedy/horror podcast My Neighbors are Dead. The podcast features characters from classic horror films like The Shining, Friday the 13th, The Omen, and The Ring, interviewed by Adam Peacock very much in the style of Hello from the Magic Tavern.

These aren’t the main characters, though, oh no. These are the characters from the sidelines you may not have heard of, but who were just as much affected by their films’ tragic events. Episodes include interviews with counselors from the Christian camp across the lake from Camp Crystal Lake, Hannibal Lector’s lonely/obsessive next-door neighbor, and Reagan from The Exorcist’s very exasperated English teacher who just wants his other students to stop claiming demonic/supernatural possession as an excuse to skip tests and gym class.

There isn’t an overreaching storyline like Hello from the Magic Tavern, but it works better that way as it allows you to skip around to episodes featuring films you have seen.  My only criticism is that in earlier episodes I think that Adam could put a little more effort of keeping the guests on topic with questions referring to the events in the films referenced. Beyond that, the narrative presents a fun view on your favorite horror classics that will likely have you scaring bystanders on your morning commute with your maniacal laughter.

Click here to skip to the recipe for The Omen’s Deviled Egg Salad Sin-wiches.

The Omen = Cursed Catering?

So the episode I wanted to feature for this blog was Episode 8: The Omen. In this interview, we meet Gerald Dean (voiced by Actor and Author Alan Linic) of Dean’s Catering, the hapless chef who catered Damien Thorne’s hellish birthday party. He describes the event running like any other, serving up finger sandwiches and capresé bites, until the nanny hung herself.

He says:

“My first thought was: ‘Oh my God. We’re never getting hired again.’ My second thought was: ‘Oh my God, something was wrong with the finger sandwiches. Maybe she’s a vegetarian or allergic to nuts. Maybe she got food poisoning and went nuts'”

While The Omen (affiliate link) glosses over any kind of party food in the film, Dean brings up a good question. What if it really was the finger sandwiches? Did Dean accidentally summon Old Scratch with some from-scratch, gourmet cooking?

So for this canape of condemnation, I decided to make a finger sandwich take on the deviled egg. While the culinary term “deviled” in this context wasn’t used until the 1800’s, the concept of boiled eggs with spicy sauces goes back to Ancient Rome — the earliest references found in the Apicius Cookery Book (affiliate link). Hard boiled eggs also take on a sulfurous flavor reminiscent of brimstone.

To this, I added ingredients representative of the Seven Deadly Sins. I felt that eggs, being both symbolic and literal to sex and fertility, would be a good stand in for Lust. Mayonnaise, the standard binder for an egg salad, works for Gluttony as its very creation (eggs and oil) is incredibly indulgent. You could even say that Lust and Gluttony act as a gateway to the other five sins.

For Greed, I used red wine vinegar to represent the hoarding of wealth and luxury for fear of losing it. Red wine is delightful, but it is ultimately created to be shared and enjoyed. Hoarded away, like other pleasures, it becomes stinging and sour. I used Dijon mustard for Pride, as it is often lauded and marketed as being superior to other mustards when there are humbler, tastier ones that are more deserving. That’s right, Dijon, I’m Grey Poupon-ing on you, you overrated condiment! #FightMe

To represent Wrath, I brought on the smoke and fire with chipotle powder and hot Hungarian paprika. The amounts I used worked well for my less spice-tolerant friends to handle. Feel free to add more if you prefer your dishes more devilish.

For Envy, I chose green onion and Jewish rye bread. Bread is often symbolic of the food shared among friends, or with deities during rituals. Envy, the breaker of friendships and covenants (in Lucifer’s case, with God), turns the bread shared into something sour.

I picked green onions more for color representation, though I steeped it in hot water and the red wine vinegar to cook. I guess you could also say it’s a mite symbolic with how often greed fuels envy.

It took me forever to think of something to represent sloth, and then I realized something. The capresé bite alone is the classic fancy cop-out appetizer of the culinary world. You put three things on a stick without cooking them and demand to be called original? Whoop-dee-doo! I’m looking at YOU, Gerald Dean of Dean’s Catering! For those unaware of what the heck I’m talking about, the capresé bite is a term for a cherry tomato, basil leaf, and mozzarella ball stuck onto a skewer. Look, I just gave you a free recipe right there. Anyway, for my take, I cut the tomatoes to look like they have devil horns.

So here it is, perdition on a plate: Deviled Egg Salad Sin-wiches. To enjoy The Omen-themed podcast episode that inspired this recipe (as well as other hilarious takes on popular horror movies) please check out the podcast My Neighbors are Dead on their website, iTunes, or wherever you happen to listen to podcasts.
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