Beet and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Brown Butter Beurre Blanc

Heaven on a plate


I have very high hopes for my dinner tonight. I have finished all the prep, and the sauce has been made. The only thing left is to boil the ravioli. The only concern I have is that the filling is such a staining pink color, that if one pops, they all turn pink. I will be boiling batches of 5 at a time, so as not to ruin all of them.





I started the day with my ravioli maker (buy one here), 5 beautiful beets and some goat cheese from Bosky Acres. 

Making the dough.  2 cups AP flour, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp water, 2 tsp salt.  Pulse in food processor. Add 1 eggs until the dough looks like this.

Knead the dough on floured surface until smooth.  Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour. On to the sauce.  In the saucepan is white wine, shallots, garlic and peppercorns.  Reduce.

The filling is the best part, as I prepare my post, I am eating it by the spoonful.  Do yourself a favor and use gloves, otherwise you WILL have pink stained hands.  Roast the beets for 45 minutes or so, until you can peel them easily.  Pulse them in the food processor.  In a bowl, mix the pureed beets and goat cheese.







Using a rolling pin, on a floured surface, take 1/4th of the rested dough and roll (not pressing hard) up.  Half turn, roll.  Flip, roll, half turn, roll, flip roll, half turn, roll.  Do this until you can almost see the color of your flesh through the dough.

Using your ravioli maker, place the rolled out pasta onto the base.

Make slight round indents, for the filling. Add filling.  Not too much, or you will tear the ravioli.

Dip your finger into egg wash and run it around the edges of the ravioli so the top layer will stick. Place another layer of pasta on top. Using rolling pin, roll gently and slowly the first time.  The first pass will stretch the ravioli and push out air pockets.  Then with more pressure, roll over.  Repeat until there are indentations (the zigzags have cut through).  Flip over, remove and separate.





This little guy  needed a minor bandage. 
Back to the sauce- For a Beurre Blanc, butter needs to be cut in.  I decided to use brown butter. There is a thin line between brown butter and burnt butter.  Be careful and control the temperature when browning butter.  You bring it to a boil, slowly, and with medium heat.  It is done when the milk solids turn golden brown.  Chill the brown butter.

Drain the garlic, shallots, and peppercorns from the wine reduction.  And return liquid to saucepan.  Slowly cut the brown butter into the reduction (on low heat) while whisking. 



My first of 3 plates.  No guilt....it was worth every calorie and then some!








Final Product:

The ravioli was AMAZING.  The sauce was even better.  The Beurre Blanc may possibly have overshadowed the ravioli, but the sweetness of the beets, the saltiness of the goat cheese, and the buttery sauce was made in heaven.  If I were to ever be in a cooking challenge, I would definitely be making this.



I'm thinking Valentine's Day!  Here, have a bite.