Spinach Ricotta Skulls

These would be lovely for a Halloween party or Gothic Lolita tea.

1 15 oz. container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 10-oz. bunch fresh spinach, stems removed, washed, and dried (or 1 pkg. frozen spinach, cooked, drained; press excess moisture through a colander)
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs plus 1 egg white
Wafer crackers

1. Wrap ricotta in cheesecloth. Place in a colander over a large bowl. Place a heavy object (such as another bowl of a can) on top and allow to drain for 3 hours to overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch springform pan. In a food processor, combine ricotta, spinach, basil, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth, scraping side of bowl as needed. Add eggs and egg white. Process for 5 seconds. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes (until set around edges). Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.

3. To unmold, run a knife around the edges, then remove sides of pan. Cut into quarters. Using a wide spatula, transfer quarters to a buttered cutting board. Cut out small skull shapes w/ cookie cutters (if you'd like, you can cut out the eyes and nose w/ a small knife or aspic cutter; try other shapes as well, like bats, etc). Gently press out skulls onto wafer crackers.

Makes about 3 dozen. Leftover custard is good folded into an omelet.