Tag: Ricotta

Categories
SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

Ravioli filled with creamy chicken mousse


Serve with a drizzle of roast almond dressing and micro herbs scattered over the top

This is a very romantic dish, fit for part of dinner to impress a seriously love one.

 

RAVIOLO WITH CHICKEN MOUSE AND YOLK

For the filling:
100 g/3.5 oz chicken mousse (recipe follows)
1 clove garlic, minced
50 g/1.7 oz ricotta (make your own)
125 ml/½ cup soft goats cheese
¼ cup/60 ml Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 tablespoon/15 ml pine nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
4 fresh quail egg yolks extra Parmesan cheese for serving
4 leaves basil micro herbs

The ravioli:
See recipe for fresh pasta
1 egg plus
1 tablespoon/15 ml of water to prepare the egg wash

The dressing:
25 g/1 oz toasted almonds, ground
¼ cup/60 ml olive oil
1 tablespoon/15 ml lemon juice
2 teaspoons/10 ml grainy mustard pinch of sugar

The filling:
 Prepare the chicken mousse (recipe follows) and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Mix the garlic, ricotta, goats cheese and Parmesan cheese and add to the chicken mousse. Stir through the pine nuts and put the whole mixture in a piping bag. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

The almond dressing:
Mix all the ingredients together and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

The ravioli:

  • Roll out the pasta dough to the thinnest setting of your pasta machine. Cut 8 circles of 150 ml/6 in diameter, cover 4 of the circles with plastic wrap and set aside.
  • For the other four circles, pipe on each one the chicken mousse mixture about 12 ml/½ in from the edge creating a hollow centre.
  • Slip an egg yolk into each center, then brush the rim with the egg wash. Place a second disc from the ones kept aside, over the filling and carefully press the edges together, working all round making sure to exclude any air before the final seal. (You might have to stretch the dough ever so slightly).
Make sure that you handle each ravioli with the greatest care to preserve your delicate egg yolk.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and add 2 tablespoons/30 ml salt.
  • Lower the heat to a simmer and then, using a wide flat spatula, lower each raviolo into the water — depending on the size of your saucepan, cook all four at the same time.
  • Cook them for about 2 minutes then gently remove from the water, let them drain properly and place on a lightly oiled surface.

To serve: Place a raviolo in the center of each plate, drizzle the almond dressing over and scatter some micro herbs over and serve immediately.

The chicken mousse:
225 g/8 oz chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon/5 ml salt
1 egg white
¾ cup/200 ml thickened cream

  • Start the chicken mousse, making sure that all the ingredients using are very cold.
  • Pulse the chicken and salt in a food processor until finely chopped.
  • Add the egg white and process more until well combined.
  • Keep the motor running and slowly pour in cream and process until smooth.
  • Transfer the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Categories
SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

Mixed berry and ricotta cream tarts


Serve with Strawberry and green peppercorn sauce

LINE

Serves 4

MIXED BERRY TART

The pastry:
185 g/6.5 oz plain flour
95 g /3.4 oz ground almonds
40 g /1.4 oz icing sugar
125 g /4.4 oz butter, chopped
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
pinch of salt

The filling:
200 g/7 oz ricotta (make your own)
seeds of 1 vanilla bean
2 free-range eggs
160 g /5.6 oz caster sugar
½ cup/125 ml fresh cream
60 g/2 oz fresh raspberries
80 g /3 oz fresh blueberries
(frozen berries can be used if fresh ones are not available – defrost and drain them before using)

The sauce:
30 g/1 oz caster sugar
2 tablespoons/30 ml cold water
½ teaspoon/3 ml liquid glucose
250 g/9 oz ripe strawberries, hulled
1 teaspoon/5 ml bottled green peppercorns, rinsed and drained
½ teaspoon/3 ml lemon juice

The garnish:
½ teaspoon/3 ml poppy seeds (optional)
apricot glaze (optional)
the strawberry sauce (recipe above)

Sift the flour into a large bowl, then add the almonds and icing sugar. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and mix with a flat-bladed knife, using a cutting action, until the mixture comes together in large crumbs.  Press together into a ball, cover with plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to moderate 180°C/356°F.

Grease six 8 cm/0.3 in (3 cm/0.1 in deep) tart tins with loose bases. Divide the pastry into six and roll each piece out between two sheets of baking paper to fit the base and side of the tins. Ease the pastry into the tins, gently press into shape and trim the edges. Prick the bases with a fork, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bake blind for 8-10 minutes, then remove the paper and beads from the baked pastry.

This pastry can also be made in a food processor, but care should be taken not to over process the mixture which will result in tough and hard pastry.

Meanwhile, process the ricotta, vanilla, eggs, sugar and cream in a food processor until smooth. Divide the berries and filling amongst the pre-baked tart shells and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is just firm around the edge but still wobbly in the center.

Let it cool to room temperature, then lift the tarts out of the tins.

Make the syrup by dissolving the sugar, water and glucose in a saucepan and bringing it to a boil over low heat.  Stir continuously and boil for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat, strain and leave to cool. Process the strawberries and peppercorns, then add the syrup and lemon juice and strain again.

Glucose is very sticky but an easy way to measure it is with either a heated spoon or a spoon dipped in oil. The glucose will simply slip off the spoon. Do the same with honey and corn syrup.

To serve:
When ready to serve, place a tart in the center of each serving plate and pour the sauce around.