Pesto Stuffed Eggs

I thought these eggs would be a pretty addition to an Easter buffet or perfect for a Spring brunch. I love deviled eggs but these are a nice change. They are filled with a mixture of pesto and ricotta cheese with a little lemon juice for zing. They are super easy to make and just look like Spring to me.

The proper way to boil an egg so that it does not end up being rubbery or have that greenish yolk is to place the eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and then immediately remove from the heat and let them sit in the hot water. You start timing them from this point - 12 minutes for a large egg. Place into an ice bath and this will stop the cooking and produce beautiful yolks.

If you routinely buy fresh eggs from a farm, like I do, you will quickly learn that fresh eggs can be very hard to peel. The older the egg, the more the lining of the egg pulls away from the shell. If you are using fresh eggs, you can try a little tip from Julia Child that I use. After the eggs have set in the ice bath, plunge them back into simmering water for 30 seconds. It makes the peeling a little easier. There are people that swear that adding a little salt or baking soda into the water also helps. I've even tried poking a tiny hole in the large end of the egg and that seems to help. If you don't have perfectly smooth peeled eggs, don't worry about. They still taste great! Do you have a great tip for peeling eggs? Please share it if you do.

makes 12 stuffed eggs

Ingredients:

• 6 extra large eggs
• 3 tablespoons ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons pesto (I like to make mine from spinach if the basil is not great)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin oiive oil (or more) 

Instructions:

Hard boil the eggs by placing the eggs in a medium saucepan and covering them with cold water by at least an inch. Bring the water to a boil, place a lid on the pot, remove from the heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 12 minutes.

While the eggs are sitting in the hot water, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice water. Remove the eggs from the hot water and place in the ice bath to stop the cooking. (If the eggs are very fresh, bring the hot water back to a boil and after the eggs have cooled, plunge them in the hot water for 30 seconds. Remove and peel.) After the eggs have cooled, peel and cut the eggs in half.

Scoop out the yolks carefully and place them in a bowl. Add the ricotta cheese and pesto and mash together with a fork. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper and olive oil. Continue to mash and taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning. If the mixture is overly dry, add a drizzle more of olive oil to thin.

Place the eggs on a serving dish and fill the cavities with the yolk mixture. I like to use a pastry bag with a jumbo tip to fill the eggs. Refrigerate until ready to serve (wrap lightly with plastic wrap).