Festive Lobster & Mascarpone Ravioli w/ Truffle Butter

Ingredients

For Truffle Butter (Burro di Tartufo)

  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 jar of truffles- black or white, finely chopped
  • ½ lb butter

For Lobster and Mascarpone Filling

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 lb lobster meat, cooked & chopped
  • 2 tbsp brandy
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
  • 8 oz mascarpone cheese
  • ½ lightly-beaten egg
  • 2 tbsp basil, chopped

For Ravioli

  • pasta dough of choice, rolled through pasta maker 6-8 times until you can see your hand through the sheet
  • egg wash
  • salt

How-to

Make Truffle Butter

  1. Cream the butter and salt with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy
  2. Beat in the chopped truffles.  Mound onto plastic wrap and roll up into log
  3. Refrigerate a minimum of 5 hours, but preferably overnight

Make Filling

  1. Heat butter and extra virgin olive oil in a sauté pan. Sweat shallots until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes
  2. Add lobster meat until just warmed through. Add brandy and Sauvignon Blanc, stir, then remove from heat. Season with salt & pepper, and allow to cool
  3. Mix in mascarpone cheese with the egg, and chopped basil. Season again with salt & pepper

Fill & Cook Ravioli

  1. Cut pasta dough into desired shapes, cutting one bottom & one matching top per ravioli. Decorate tops with different colored doughs, and garnishments, if desired (watch "Festive Ravioli Shapes" on how2heroes.com)
  2. Brush ravioli bottoms with egg wash
  3. Place 1-1½ tbsp filling in center of each bottom, leaving room around the edges for sealing
  4. Place top, and press to seal. Place in freezer for 10-15 minutes before cooking. This will help bond the seal to assure the filling does not leak during cooking
  5. Grease the bottom of a large, shallow, straight-edged pan. Heat a few inches of salted water, then reduce heat so that water is barely at a simmer
  6. Add raviolis in batches so that the pan is not over-crowded
  7. Allow to simmer lightly 15-20 min, depending on size of raviolis, and amount of decorative layers

To Serve

  1. While raviolis are cooking, heat truffle butter in small saucepan over medium heat until melted, about 2 tbsp per serving
  2. Spoon butter onto individual serving plates
  3. Remove raviolis from water with slotted spoon, allowing the water to slightly drain onto paper towel before plating
  4. Place atop truffle butter, and enjoy!