Recipe courtesy of Antonia Lofaso
Corn and Egg Yolk Ravioli
- Level: Advanced
- Total: 4 hr
- Active: 2 hr 30 min
- Yield: 15 servings
Ingredients
Pasta Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large pinch salt
Corn Mousse Filling:
12 to 15 ears corn, shucked
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
Salt
Sugar
2 tablespoons mascarpone
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Cheese Sauce:
1 cup Parmesan rinds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup corn kernels
7 1/3 tablespoons butter
Salt
Ravioli:
15 eggs
Salt
Grated Parmesan
Directions
Special equipment:
a pasta machine- For the pasta dough: Place the flour, eggs, egg yolks, olive oil and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the newly formed pasta dough from the mixer, mold it into a ball and then flatten into a disc. Wrap in cellophane and let rest in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- For the corn mousse filling: Cut the ears of corn in half. Slice away 1 cup of kernels, set aside and reserve. Finely grate the rest of the corn on a box grater. Cut the halved corncobs into quarters and set aside.
- Combine the grated corn and butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add salt and sugar to taste (1 to 2 large pinches each). Saute, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 5 minutes, then pour into a mixing bowl.
- While warm, add the mascarpone and Parmesan; whisk until the mousse is even and smooth.
- Set the bowl into an ice bath to cool. Once cooled, transfer the mousse to a sealed piping bag and refrigerate (the piping bag is used to easily dispense the mousse when constructing your ravioli).
- For the cheese sauce: Run the corncobs through a juicer; set the corn juice aside.
- Add the Parmesan rinds to a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. Set aside to cool.
- Now for the corn cornels: Grab a saute pan, add the olive oil, and heat over medium heat. Remove the pan from the burner and add the corn cornels. Return the pan to the burner and allow the corn to heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the pan and cook, tossing the corn frequently and allowing it to caramelize. Once caramelized, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate; the corn will later be added to the cheese sauce as garnish.
- Pasta dough, continued: Designate some counter space in your kitchen where you can lay out the sheet of pasta dough that you are about to create. Dust the countertop with flour to prevent sticking. Remove the pasta dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and dust with flour. Cut off a generous portion of pasta dough and press by hand into a flat, rectangular shape. Feed the dough through a pasta machine on the thickest setting. Run the dough through a couple more times. Continue running the dough through the machine a couple more times, gradually setting it to a thinner setting. Repeat until the pasta press is at its lowest setting, making the sheet of pasta dough nice and thin. If needed, fold the sides of the dough after each pass to maintain a rectangular shape. Place the pasta sheet on the counter and repeat with the remaining dough.
- To construct the ravioli: Cut the sheets of pasta dough into equal squares. Take the corn mousse out of the fridge, and squeeze a ring of mousse (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) onto a square of pasta, leaving enough space in the center for a whole egg yolk to rest in. Crack open a fresh egg and gently remove the yolk without breaking it. Place the yolk in the center of the ring of mousse; reserve the leftover egg white for later. Once the yolk is in place, season it with a little salt and use a microplane to grate some fresh Parmesan cheese on top, covering the yolk; the Parmesan will serve as a hat to protect the integrity of the yolk once the top square of pasta dough is placed.
- Using your finger, lightly spread egg white along the edges of the pasta square; the egg white will act as glue between the top and bottom portion of your squares. Carefully place the top square of pasta over the mousse and egg yolk, and gently press the top and bottom squares together at the edges, creating a seal. Without damaging the egg yolk, carefully pat the ravioli to remove as many air pockets as possible. Trim the edges with a knife to make an even, clean square. Now repeat this process to create the rest of the ravioli.
- When you're ready to cook the ravioli, gently add them to a pot of well-salted boiling water and cook for 4 minutes.
- Cheese sauce, continued: While the ravioli are cooking, finish the cheese sauce.
- Using a ladle, pour about 1/2 cup of the cooled cheese stock into a saute pan over medium heat. Add the corn juice and the remaining 5 1/3 tablespoons butter to the pan, and let reduce. Add a pinch of salt (to taste), and stir to even out the consistency.
- Now take the caramelized corn kernels, add the desired amount to the pan, and heat to warm.
- To put it all together: Gently drain the ravioli and place them, yolk up, in the pan with the cheese sauce. Using a spoon, baste the ravioli with the cheese sauce, and grate over some fresh Parmesan. Swirl the pan around a little, allowing the grated cheese to melt evenly. Baste the ravioli once again with the cheese sauce, then remove the pan from the heat and place a ravioli onto a plate, yolk up. Take the remaining cheese sauce and caramelized corn and drape them over the raviolis. Grate some more Parmesan over the plated ravioli. Serve and enjoy.
