Tortelloni alle Mele

We had a gazillion other things to do, but we went back to Tutto Mele anyway, lured by the fascination with tortelloni with apple inside. We were in luck as they had a fresh made supply of plump tortelloni. I'm glad we made the effort as they were were fabulously delicious.
The small family pastificio (pasta only shop)in nearby Barge, a small farming community just outside the mouth of our valley and hugging the feet of the mountains, created and produced these fabulously plump tortelloni. Most of us are familiar with the smallish tortellini that are readily found in the US. Here it's not unusual to find these larger fresh fat boys, that are always delish. The pasta for the 50/50 blend of apple and ricotta was a sturdy semolina egg dough with beets added to give it a wow factor. The young woman behind the counter, the daughter of the shop owners and creators of these unusual creations, suggested that a light touch with an accompanying sauce should be used to strike the right balance so as not to cover the delicate flavor. The local favorite of butter with sage or walnut was one suggestion or a light Gorgonzola sauce struck me as the right contrast. So we settled on the festival special of 11 tortelloni for 6 euros and mixed up the purchase with 4 apple, 4 truffle and ricotta and 3 chestnut and ricotta.

As usual, when you simmer colored pasta, it loses it vibrant, inviting color, making it a little difficult to get a gorgeous photo with a layer of Gorgonzola oozing over, but in spite of the challenges of the final finished product, I can say that they were outstanding. The suggested 10 minutes to cook them was a perfect amount of time and the sauce was just right. I would say that when I give this idea a go, I think I will increase the amount of apple. My preference would be a slightly more pronounced apple presence and maybe even an apple inspired sauce to boot.

Apple Tortelloni with Gorgonzola sauce

Then there were the ones with then truffle mixed in with the ricotta.

They were superb!
Toss the cooked pasta directly into your pan with the melted butter and fresh slivered sage, that has been gently sauteed till fragrant and gently mix. Plate and garnish with freshly shaved or grated parmigiana, topped off with a drop or two of truffle oil. It was divine.

Hum? I wonder what I should toss the chestnut ones in tonight?
Any suggestions from any of you?

Valentine's Greeting and a heart or two for you

Happy Valentine's Day

Again high hopes of posting on another event that comes to naught.

I keep trying to learn how to use my computer and add on new skills only to find I still haven't mastered the basics.
Never having been Mac user and being a late comer to the computer world I am finding I still can't get even the basics of burning a cd , organizing my photos with out duplicates everywhere and on and on. It's hard to move forward when all the steps seem backwards and the help section doesn't seem to help because I don't seem to know how to ask the right question. I have just spent a few frustrating days trying to sort and organize and still not resolved. Prefer to be cooking or out in the sunshine,grrrr.
Oh yes back to happy VD.
Today is also another happy occasion for us.
Fabrizio and I got up early last year on Valentine's day and surprised our friends and family by going to Loveland ski area in Colorado and participated in their annual, "Marry Me and Ski for Free" event.

We're not your average couple, so we didn't have your average wedding.

We had been together almost 6 years and trying to juggle family, friends and continents and schedules was too complicated for putting together a wedding on more than one occasion, so we opted for a friends suggestion to another friend of ours.Valentine's day wedding on top of the world with 60 others couples(some renewing). I had forgotten about this event even though this area had been my home for so many years. When I told Fabrizio about it he said let's do it. So we did. Many folks thought we were married anyway, so we just had a lovely powder ski day near the top of the Continental divide in the Colorado Rockies. Sharing the day, the mountains, the skiing and the very emotional moment of saying I do in very cold atmosphere, still warms my heart to the core and makes me go all misty. If you want to see my limited photos I have a photo album here.
Many people dressed up, as there was a contest for prizes, but we opted for warmth. We also had to cut the celebration a bit short as we had already schedule a "Cooking in Your Home" class that night with some friends. The hosts, coincidentally, I had made their wedding cake many years previous when I worked at Copper Mt as the resort pastry chef, so that made it even more fun when we told everyone when we arrived for the class that night. We had a great party and our hosts kindly let us pick a special wine from their wine cellar. Our friend who put the evening together took some pictures that I have included with the same wedding photo album. My sister in law bought us red roses, a bit of bubbly and chocolate, waiting at the house for us when we returned as we were staying with her while we were visiting there last year. It was a delightful and wonderfully memorable day, I will cherish always.

So I was trying to make a tasty treat for the double occasion last night with decent results, but ran out of time to nail it completely down. The main idea was a chocolate pasta heart. Most of the recipes I ran across called for too much flour and not enough chocolate, so in the end I ended up with a cross between a sweet pasta and a pastry dough. I think it has potential for versatility and I think I will work on it for the future. Since it has been the season for frying, I continued on in this fashion and fried up the chestnut cream filled hearts and doused them with a bit of white and chocolate ganache . They would be great with a variety of sauces, especially to dip them in, raspberries and strawberries come to first mind, but we haven't been into town for awhile, so I just rustled up what the cupboards had to offer and it was a satisfying treat, even if the presentation lacked from rushing to feed my hungry man. Not overly sweet or chocolate but kind of fun. I think they are tasty with a simple sprinkle of powdered sugar for snacking on for a mid morning or afternoon merenda.
The measurements are fairly loose as my eggs were small and you never know from time to time what size you'll get from the girls, so adjust to get a smooth malleable pasta. I think I just might bake them off as a tart this afternoon.

Chocolate Pasta Hearts filled with Chestnut Cream

For the pasta

3/4 c cocoa
1/2 c confectioner sugar
1/2 c more or less flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten before adding
drop or two of vanilla or other flavoring, optional

Mix the flour, cocoa and sugar.
Add eggs and flavoring if desired.
Knead until smooth and shiny.
Lest rest at least 10 minutes and roll out till about less than a 1/4 inch thick.

I put it through the past machine to make sure it would work.
It worked beautifully as long as you flatten it enough in the beginning that it doesn't break first time through.
I only went down to number 4.
Try and see what works for you.

Fill with
Chestnut cream
I used a ready made chestnut puree that has brown sugar added.
I think a few chestnut bits or chestnut croquant, (caramelized sugar with toasted chestnut and then pulverized)
would be divine.
Or this mixed with a bit of mascarpone or ricotta.
The fillings are endless.
Drop by teaspoons on to the dough about an inch or two apart depending on the size of your hearts.
Spread a little egg white mixed with water around the edges.
Cover with another layer of dough.
Cut out shapes with heart cutter.
Mash the edges together with a fork.
I wouldn't let them set too long before frying or baking as I think the moister will seep through making them fall apart if you're not careful.

I fried mine and kept a watchful eye, as they only take a few minutes and are very easy to burn if you aren't careful.
I'm sure they would bake up also, might try that next time, but didn't feel like turning on the oven.

Quick white chocolate sauce
1/2 c heavy cream
1/4 c sparking wine or milk
1/c white chocolate, chopped fine
1-2 Tb Grand Marnier

Bring cream and wine to just under a boil, remove from heat.
Add the white chocolate and whisk till melted.
Add the liqueur.
Serve with your chocolate hearts


Sauce ideas
fruit coulis, raspberry is always my favorite
white or dark chocolate sauces
Sabayon
Creme Anglais