Pasta Party: Chocolate Dessert Ravioli

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Photo by Howard Lee Puckett
Pictured: Chocolate Dessert Ravioli

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<em>Serves 12 (about $1.50 per serving)</em>
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<p>I developed this recipe when I wanted to serve pasta as every course. The almond and chocolate flavors are delicious.<br />
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<strong>Ravioli</strong>
</p>
<p>• 2 1?2 cups all-purpose flour 1?3 cup water, divided <br />
• 1?3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Almond Filling (below)  <br />
• 1?2 cup loosely packed fresh Raspberry Sauce (below) chocolate mint or peppermint 1 gallon water leaves, chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil<br />
• 3 large eggs  <br />
• Chocolate mint sprigs, for garnish<br />
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1. Mix flour and cocoa well in food processor.  Add chocolate mint and pulse processor a few times.<br />
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2. Add eggs and run until well-blended. Run machine while slowly adding 1?6  cup water. Add more water if needed (up to 1?3 cup). <br />
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3. Knead dough and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes. <br />
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4. Mix Almond Filling and make Raspberry Sauce (recipes below).<br />
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5. Roll dough through a pasta machine. (My machine has a dial to make the rollers closer together. I start with #1–farthest apart–and thin out the dough by moving the rollers closer together with each pass. My machine goes to #7, but I stop at #6. The dough begins to tear on #7.)<br />
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6. Cut a length of dough and spoon a small amount of Almond Filling onto the dough, spacing the filling evenly across the dough. Cut another length of dough and gently place it on top. Use a ravioli cutter to seal and separate the individual ravioli.<br />
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7. Bring 1 gallon of water to boil in a large kettle. Add oil.  When water reaches a rolling boil, quickly drop ravioli into the water, one at a time. <br />
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8. When they float up to the top of the water, they are done. Run under cold water. When cool, cover with plastic wrap. Drizzle with Raspberry Sauce and serve in a champagne glass or on a dessert plate.   </p>
<p>
<strong>Almond Filling</strong>
</p>
<p>• 15 ounces  ricotta cheese<br />
• 1 large egg<br />
• 12½ ounces almond filling (1 can)<br />
• 7 ounces almond paste (1 tube) </p>
<p>1. Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl and blend together with a mixer or wire whisk.</p>
<p>
<strong>Raspberry Sauce</strong>
</p>
<p>• 2 packages (12 ounces each) frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed<br />
• 3?4 cup sugar<br />
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch</p>
<p>1. Press raspberries through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a small bowl, discarding solids.<br />
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2. Stir together sugar and cornstarch in a 2-quart saucepan; gradually add raspberry juice, stirring to blend. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils.<br />
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3. Boil, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cool. Cover and chill.</p>
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<strong>More Serving Suggestions for Chocolate Dessert Ravioli:</strong>
</p>
<p>• Drizzle the dish with hot fudge, then place pasta, vanilla custard, chocolate curls and pecans on top; add a sprig of chocolate mint or basil as a garnish.<br />
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• Pour raspberry sauce into serving dishes. Top with pasta, whipped cream, fresh berries, and add a sprig of mint or marjoram as a garnish.<br />
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• Use peppermint in the pasta instead of chocolate mint. Spoon a layer of fudge into the dish, then add the pasta and whipped cream. Garnish with crushed<br />
peppermint candy.<br />
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• Drizzle chocolate sauce on the edge of the dish, then put in the pasta and sprinkle it with orange zest. Add a spoonful of vanilla custard with chopped candied orange rind mixed in, and a sprig of orange mint, lemon verbena or citrus-scented geranium as a garnish.<br />
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• Spoon lemon curd in the dish and top with pasta and whipped cream mixed with lemon curd; garnish with lemon zest and a sprig of lemon balm or lemon verbena.</p>
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<hr />
<p>
<em>Donna Frawley, owner of Frawley’s Fine Herbary (</em>
<a href=”http://www.frawleysfineherbary.com/” target=”_blank”>www.frawleysfineherbary.com</a>
<em>), has written two cookbooks:</em> The Herbal Breads Cookbook <em>(Frawley’s Fine Herbary, 1994) and</em> The Edible Flowers Book<em> (Frawley’s Fine Herbary, 2004).</em>
</p>
<p>Click here for the main article, <a href=”https://www.motherearthliving.com/cooking-methods/make-homemade-pasta.aspx”>
<strong>Pasta Party: Make Homemade Pasta</strong>
</a>.</p>

  • Published on Jan 11, 2010
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