This dish is simple and decadent at the same time. Delicate fresh pasta is stuffed with pungent gorgonzola, and served with a creamy sauce of foie gras. The combination is delicious. Since we love foie gras and we love blue cheese, this was a winner.

Once you get the hang of making ravioli from scratch, it is a very straightforward dish. You can use either fresh foie gras or foie gras pâté to make the sauce. I only used fresh because I still had some from making Tournedos Rossini and Smoked eel with apple and foie gras for the holidays. Here’s what I did…

Ingredients

For 4 small or 2 large servings, 20-24 ravioli

100 grams (3.5 oz) foie gras

100 grams (3.5 oz) gorgonzola

50 grams (1/4 cup) ricotta

30 grams (1 oz) freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

120 ml (1/2 cup) cream

1 Tbsp cognac

salt and freshly ground white pepper

1 large egg

100 grams (2/3 cup) Italian 00 flour

Preparation

Start by making fresh pasta dough and allow it to rest for at least half an hour (or up to a day). 1 egg worth of pasta dough is enough if you roll out the pasta very thinly (like you should to get delicate ravioli) and recycle the trimmings. You could also make 2 eggs worth of pasta dough, and reserve the trimmings for a quick lunch of fresh pasta the following day.

Combine 100 grams gorgonzola, 50 grams of ricotta and 30 grams of parmigiano in the bowl of the food processor.

Process until smooth. Refrigerate if not using right away.

Roll out the dough and make ravioli with the gorgonzola stuffing.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Dice the foie gras and put in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.

When the foie gras starts to melt, add a tablespoon of cognac.

When the cognac has evaporated, add 120 ml (1/2 cup) of cream. Stir over medium heat until the cream is hot, but do not allow the cream to boil.

Turn down the heat to very low and use an immersion blender to puree the sauce.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Keep the sauce warm over very low heat and stir it now and then.

When the water boils, add salt and the ravioli. Cook them for a couple of minutes, then lift them from the boiling water with a strainer and add them to the foie gras sauce.

Once you’ve added all the ravioli, toss them carefully to coat them with the sauce on all sides.

Serve at once on preheated plates.

Wine pairing

This is wonderful with a Sauternes or another sweet wine made from ‘noble rot’ grapes (botrytis), as such a wine is great with both foie gras and gorgonzola.

Flashback

This walnut cake stuffed with chocolate pastry cream is a bit of work to make, but definitely worth it.