Corn and Chevre Ravioli with Thyme Butter

OMG FRESH PASTA IS RIDICULOUS AND AMAZING. 

Thought I should make that clear first. DMM (David Michael Mohl) got a handy-dandy crank pasta roller for valentine's day so we decided to make pasta...omg best decision ever. EVER. 


Also, I'm not a huge fan of Giada De Laurentiis, because I think mostly she's kind of ridiculous and over-pronounces things that are seemingly-Italian (see at 30 seconds, 1:40, and 2:25). BUT I decided to try her Corn Tortelli with Tarragon Butter, and much to my chagrin, she was really onto something with this recipe. It was fresh, delicious, the pasta was al dente, and surprisingly, corn is a great addition to pasta. 

After an awful evening last night, and a crappy morning this morning (complete with my email being hacked and my 75-page final Note draft due Friday AND a moot court practice this morning, PLUS preparing for a Trial class tomorrow at 6 pm on a Thursday...yeah yeah I complain too much...then stop reading my blog...JK...you won't cause you love my recipes :) heh) this fresh pasta dish was exactly what I needed. After making some raviolis we took the rest of the pasta dough and ran it through the spaghetti (Giada voice) and fettucini (Giada voice again) cutters, and this was definitely a good move. There was some corn filling left over and tossing the pasta with the filling and the thyme butter was a good call. It's so amazing what a difference fresh pasta makes. Anyways, enjoy :) 


Also, even though these recipes require a pasta roller, there are some really cheap good ones that you can find at Target or Bed Bath & Beyond, and sometimes, you get 20% off coupons in the mail for Bed Bath & Beyond so it makes it that much more affordable! Also, the original recipe calls for mascarpone but that was way too expensive at the store so cream cheese is a good substitute, also, if you don't have tarragon another good substitute is thyme. 


Corn and Chevre Ravioli with Thyme Butter
now playing: cut copy - zonoscope
now drinking: 2006 chateau franc-cardinal bordeaux, and then, 2007 jean-luc colombo cote de rhones...yeah, two bottles of wine...i know...
inspired by: NEW PASTA MAKER!!!!


Ingredients
Pasta
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil


Corn Filling
2 (14.75-ounce) cans creamed corn, drained well (about 1 1/2 cups total)
1/2 cup cream cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup Chevre (2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg plus a little water, for egg wash


Tarragon Butter
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
1/3 cup corn (canned or fresh)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan, for garnish

To make pasta: Place the flour in a food processor. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the salt and olive oil to the eggs and stir to combine. Add the egg mixture to the food processor. Pulse to combine the ingredients, scraping down the sides once or twice. Continue, with the machine running, until the liquid is evenly distributed, about 1 minute. The dough should stick together if pinched between your fingers. The dough will be cornmeal-yellow in color. Some of the dough will be sticking together, but it will not form a single ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into a ball and knead gently until the dough is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

To make the raviolis: Begin by rolling out the pasta dough. Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal and set aside. Cut a piece of the dough off the ball and shape into a rectangle about the size of a deck of cards. Cover the remaining dough with plastic wrap until you are ready to use it. Roll the rectangle of dough through the widest setting of the pasta machine a few times until it is smooth. Then roll it through the remaining settings to the thinnest setting. Sprinkle the sheet lightly with cornmeal, gently fold, place on the cornmeal-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Continue rolling out the rest of the pasta.

To make the filling, in a medium bowl mix together the drained creamed corn, mascarpone cheese, goat cheese, tarragon, and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and set aside.

To form the raviolis, place a sheet of pasta on a dry work surface. Using a pastry brush dipped in the egg wash, brush the entire sheet of fresh pasta. Place rounded teaspoons (about 1 ounce) of the corn filling on the pasta sheet, about 2 inches apart. Carefully place another sheet of pasta over the mounds, smoothing out any air pockets and firmly sealing the pasta around the filling. Using a scalloped pasta cutter (or a sharp knife) cut the pasta into small squares. Transfer the Tortelli to the cornmeal-lined baking sheet. Continue forming the remaining tortelli.

To make the Tarragon Butter: In a medium bowl, gently mix together all the ingredients.

To serve, place the Tarragon Butter in a large serving bowl. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until they float, about 2 minutes. Drain pasta, using a large mesh strainer or slotted spoon, into the bowl with the Tarragon Butter. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.