YaDa Chef Private and Personal Chefs

The Italians love to celebrate holidays with food and Easter is one of those special holidays.  The breads come in every shape and size. Many are sweet, braided  and wrapped around eggs. The Neapolitans have a delicious savory one stuffed with ricotta and sausage or ham. This recipe is more along the lines of a Calabrian bread. Easter is preceded by Lent, a time of fasting for many Christians. Come Easter Sunday, it is time to come together... 3 cups/375g all purpose flour 1/4 cup/48g sugar 1 package active dry yeast 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup/158ml warm milk (120F/49C) 2 tablespoons butter/29g, softened 2 large eggs  grated orange zest 1/4 cup/43g chopped blanched almonds 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds 5 hard boiled eggs neutral oil Glaze 1 cup/130g confectioner's sugar, sifted 2 to 3 tablespoons/30-45ml orange juice sprinkles or nonpareils, for decorating In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup/125g flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add milk and butter; beat 2 minutes on

This is a fun project to do today with the kiddos as we are sure they are getting excited about Peter Cotton Tail hopping down the bunny trail… And after a couple of these cookies so will they! 1 cup/8 ounces/225g butter, softened 1/2 cup/110g firmly packed brown sugar 2 eggs, separated 1 1/2 teaspoons/7ml vanilla extract 2 1/4 cups/281g all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups/174g walnuts, finely chopped 2 tablespoons/30g butter, softened 3 tablespoons/45ml light corn syrup 2 drops blue food coloring 1 drop green food coloring 1 teaspoon/5ml almond extract 2 cups/260g confectioners' sugar Preheat oven to 350F/175C/Gas4 In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks then stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour and mix well. Beat egg whites until foamy. Spread walnuts on a plate or waxed paper. Roll 1 teaspoon of dough into a ball; roll in egg whites then in walnuts. Place 2 inches/5cm apart on a cookie sheet. Make a depress