Holiday Gifting Ricotta Egg Biscuits Recipes

BREAKFAST PIZZA WITH ZUCCHINI PESTO, PROVOLONE, SMOKED RICOTTA AND OLIVE OIL FRIED EGG

Steps:

• Put a pizza stone on or near the bottom of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F. Sprinkle some cornmeal on a pizza peel.
• Dust your work surface with a little bit of flour. Working with 2 balls of dough at a time (whatever will fit on your pizza stone), roll out each ball of dough to about 1/8 inch thick and transfer to the peel. Drizzle the top with a few teaspoons olive oil, scatter some of the provolone evenly over the top and season with some salt, pepper and chile flakes. Using the peel, transfer the pizzas to the stone and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• While the pizzas cook, fry the eggs: Heat about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Slip in 2 of the eggs and fry until the edges are brown and crisp, the whites are set and the yolks still runny, about 3 minutes.
• Remove the pizzas from the oven and spread an even layer of Zucchini Pesto on top, dollop with some ricotta, top with an egg and garnish with some parsley leaves. Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings. Cook the remaining eggs, adding an additional tablespoon of oil to the skillet if needed. Serve hot.
• Combine the zucchini, basil, Parmesan, almonds, garlic and onion in the bowl of a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil and process until emulsified. Season with the lemon zest and some salt and pepper and pulse a few times.

HOLIDAY GIFTING RICOTTA EGG BISCUITS

Steps:

• 1. Cream butter and sugar. Mix until creamy.
• 2. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• 3. Add ricotta cheese and extract. Mix well.
• 4. Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder gradually.
• 5. After well incorporated I find that if you refrigerate the dough about 30 minutes, covered so as not to dry out, the dough is then easier to handle. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls or roll into small balls onto an ungreased parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
• 6. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
• 7. Cool on a wire rack.
• 8. For the icing: Combine confectioners' sugar, 3-4 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla or another extract (you could also add food coloring if you want colored icing). I also add about a tablespoon of meringue powder to the icing although my mother never did. I find it helps dry the icing quicker.
• 9. Ice cookies and top with colored sprinkles.

HOLIDAY DEVILED EGGS

Steps:

• For the eggs: Place the eggs in the bottom of a large stockpot in a single layer and fill the pot with water to cover the eggs by 2 inches. Add the salt. Place the eggs over high heat and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat, cover the pot and let sit for 13 to 15 minutes. Prepare an ice bath. Remove the eggs from the pot and place into the ice bath to cool.
• For the filling: Peel the eggs, cut them in half and place half of the yolks in a food processor. Add the basil, chives and 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise to the processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the filling to a resealable plastic bag.
• Clean out the bowl of the food processor. Place the remaining egg yolks into the clean processor, add the roasted red peppers and remaining 1/2 cup mayonnaise and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a second resealable bag.
• Add the red food coloring and 1/2 teaspoon of the vinegar to 2 cups of room temperature water in a bowl and mix well. Add half of the egg whites (make sure you remove the membranes from the egg halves so they don't affect the dyeing process) and let soak until the desired color is achieved, at least 15 minutes. Repeat the same process with the green food coloring and remaining vinegar. It will take longer to get a deep green color.
• Remove the eggs from the dye and pat dry. Arrange on a serving tray and pipe the green filling into the red egg halves and the red filling into the green egg halves. Garnish the green filling with chopped chives. Garnish the red filling with finely chopped red pepper.