Kathy Casey is a noted Seattle chef and mixologist. A number of years ago she found herself attending a party with potluck hor d’oeuvres.

Joining KIRO Radio’s Seattle Kitchen, she turned to host Thierry Rautureau, and lamented the high expectations when a chef brings a dish to a party.

Instead of something extravagant, Casey brought something classic to the party: deviled eggs. And an experiment began. Her new book, “D’lish Deviled Eggs” shares 54 different recipes that take your deviled eggs from the classic to wild.

Thierry asked, what’s the secret to a really good deviled egg?

“You have to start with eggs that aren’t super fresh,” Casey explained. She said she learned it the hard way – eggs that are too fresh are difficult to peel – so they should be at least seven to 10 days old.

“You’re going to start with them in cold water, and bring them to a boil.” Then, just as the boil starts, cover the pan and turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for 15 minutes.

Casey said she tried hundreds and hundreds of eggs while working on her book, and came to the top recipes she shares. They all seem to have something in common: texture.

One, a buttered corn egg, features butter in the mixture and a piece of popcorn on top. Another egg modeled after the California roll calls for avocado in the mixture and is topped with crab.

As it turns out, the egg is “a great base for many different flavors,” says Casey.

For more expert chef tips listen to the Seattle Kitchen show on KIRO Radio, Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. Available anytime ON DEMAND at KIRORadio.com.