She Strengthens

Elevate Your Dinner Party with These Show-Stopping Ravioli

When it comes to impressing your dinner guests, few dishes can rival the allure of freshly made ravioli. And we’re not talking about just any ravioli – we’re talking about a culinary masterpiece that combines the richness of Parmesan-ricotta filling, the creaminess of runny egg yolks, and the savory goodness of brown butter, sage, and bacon.

The Ultimate First Course

To create this show-stopping dish, you’ll need to start with fresh homemade pasta, which you’ll then fill with a decadent mixture of Parmesan and ricotta cheese. The real pièce de résistance, however, is the addition of an egg yolk to the center of each raviolo, which will remain runny even after cooking. To complete the dish, you’ll serve the ravioli with a rich brown butter, sage, and bacon sauce that will leave your guests begging for more.

Special Equipment Needed

Before you begin, make sure you have the following special equipment on hand:

• A pastry brush
• A 4-1/2- or 5-inch round cutter (or a small bowl with the same diameter)
• A pasta machine (we recommend Imperia’s hand-cranked model)

Game Plan

To ensure that your ravioli turn out perfectly, it’s essential to cook them immediately after forming. If you don’t plan to cook them right away, you can freeze them for up to a month. Be warned, however, that if you don’t cook them promptly, they’ll become soggy and stick to the baking sheet.

Yield and Difficulty

This recipe yields 6 servings and is considered medium difficulty. The total cooking time is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, with an active cooking time of 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese (8 ounces)
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 thick-cut bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
• Flour, for rolling out the pasta dough
• 1 recipe Fresh Pasta Dough (see recipe intro)
• 6 large eggs
• 1 large egg beaten with 2 tablespoons of water, for sealing the ravioli
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
• 2 tablespoons finely cut fresh sage-leaf ribbons

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare the Filling

Combine the ricotta and Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cook the Bacon

Place the bacon in a medium frying pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside, reserving the pan.

Roll Out the Pasta Dough

Divide the prepared pasta dough into 2 equal pieces, covering one piece with plastic wrap and setting it aside. Using your hands, press the other half into a round disk roughly 1/4 inch thick. Pass the dough through a pasta machine, adjusting to the next narrower setting with each pass, until it is very thin.

Assemble the Ravioli

Pipe a ring of filling onto 6 of the pasta pieces, leaving the center empty. Pipe a second ring on top of the first, forming a nest for the egg yolk. Crack an egg, separating the white from the yolk, and gently place the yolk inside one of the piped rings. Repeat with the remaining eggs and piped rings.

Seal the Ravioli

Using a pastry brush, brush the egg-water mixture on the exposed edges of the pasta with the yolk-cheese rings. Gently cover with the remaining 6 pasta squares, starting at one side of each square and draping the pasta over the filling and egg. Push out the air pockets as you go and press tightly around the filling and egg yolk to seal.

Cook the Ravioli

Gently add 3 of the ravioli to a large pot of boiling, heavily salted water. Cook until they float and the cheese filling is warmed through, about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and repeat with the remaining ravioli.

Serve with Sage-Bacon Sauce

Return the reserved frying pan to medium heat, adding the butter and cooking until the white milk solids have browned. Add the sage and reserved bacon pieces, seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the cooked ravioli and serve immediately.