An Authentic Italian Picnic, Part 2 of 5: Mimosa Sandwiches

In the United States, the word mimosa inspires visions of all-you-can-drink brunch with the girls, but in Italy, the mimosa is a bush found all over the country. When it blooms in March, it produces clusters of tiny, fluffy yellow flowers. The abundance of both eggs and mimosa flowers signifies the arrival of spring in the Italian countryside, and most of the dishes that include crumbled egg yolks are named after the mimosa because of their resemblance to the plant.

These delicate sandwiches make for a perfectly elegant brunch spread. If you’re planning to take them with you on a picnic instead of eating right away, you can mix the yolk "mimosa" into the cheese spread for an Italian-inspired (and less messy) egg salad.

Mimosa Sandwiches

Makes 16 miniature sandwiches

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 bunch chives
½ cup creamy ricotta
¼ cup Gorgonzola cheese
¼ cup mascarpone cheese
8 square slices rye bread, crust removed
Salt & pepper

Directions

01. Hard-boil the 4 eggs. Let cool, then peel.

02. Remove egg yolks and set aside, then mince the egg whites.

03. Mince the chives, saving a few teaspoons for garnish.

04. In a medium bowl, mix minced chives, minced egg whites, and the 3 cheeses well until a smooth cream forms.

05. Assemble the sandwiches: Spread the cheese mixture thickly on 4 slices of bread and cover with the remainder of the bread to make 4 sandwiches, reserving a small amount of the cheese mixture.  Cut each sandwich into 4 smaller squares.

06. Make sandwich topping: Crumble the four reserved egg yolks with a fork, or use a spoon to push them through a sieve.

07. Spread a small amount of the reserved cheese mixture onto the top of each miniature sandwich—just enough to make the topping stick.
08. Sprinkle each mini-sandwich with a portion of the egg crumble. Garnish with the reserved chives for color, and season with salt and pepper to taste.