Checkerboard of Caviar Eggs

Cover the eggs with cold water in a pan. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and gently simmer the eggs for exactly 11 minutes. (More than 11 minutes and you will get a green ring around the yolk.) Run the eggs under cold water and shell them immediately. (As the cold water hits the hot egg, it will create a pocket of steam under the shell, which facilitates peeling.)

Cut a 1/8-inch slice off the end of each egg, so that the halves will sit upright without wobbling. Cut each egg in half widthwise and carefully remove the yolk with a spoon. Place the egg yolks in a food processor with the smoked salmon and scallion white and puree until smooth. Add the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and pepper and puree until smooth. Pipe rosettes of salmon egg mixture into the egg white halves, using a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. If you don't have a piping bag, spoon the filling into the whites as neatly as you can.

Using a fork, place small mounds of black caviar on some of the eggs, red on some, and yellow on some. To achieve a checkerboard effect, arrange the eggs in rows, alternating colors.