Helen Barolini rediscovered her culinary heritage when she married Italian writer Antonio Barolini and lived for some years in Italy. Festa is a year-long feast of memories and delicious, traditional Italian dishes-from St. Nicholas sweetmeats in December and perciatelli with sardines and fennel for March's St. Joseph's Day, to figs with prosciutto for summer's Ferragosto and pumpkin gnocchi for an American Thanksgiving in Italy.
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Make a well in the center; drop in the beaten eggs and vanilla. Mix with a fork until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
With floured hands gather up the dough and form it into a ball.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to l/2-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 3-inch rounds to fit into the muffin cups. Line the cups with the rounds, pressing gently to make them fit. Place 1 colored egg in the center of each cup.
Cut twenty-four 3-inch strips from the leftover dough. (You may have to gather up the pieces and roll them out again.) Form handles by placing 2 strips, crisscross fashion, over each egg. Press the ends of the strips into the lining pastry to seal the edges.
Bake in the center of the oven until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 8 to 10 minutes on a rack before removing the baskets from the muffin tin, then cool thoroughly.
To make the frosting, combine the confectioners' sugar with the shortening, the almond extract, and enough water or milk to make a smooth paste. Divide into several cups and add a few drops of food coloring for several colored frostings. Frost the baskets, and decorate the sides and handles with colored sprinkles. With the remaining frosting, pipe the names of family and friends on the baskets, using a pastry tube.
