Sweet cherry and chocolate ravioli with hazelnut butter and pistachio ice cream

Preparation method

1. For the pistachio ice cream, bring the milk and powdered pistachios to the boil in a saucepan, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar until thickened and pale.

3. Pour a little of the warm milk mixture over the egg yolk mixture, whisking continuously until well combined, then pour in the remaining milk and whisk again until well combined.

4. Strain the milk mixture through a sieve, collecting the strained liquid in a clean pan. Heat the liquid gently, whisking continuously, until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the almond liqueur.

5. Remove the custard mixture from the heat, cover with cling film and set aside to cool. Once cool, transfer the mixture to an ice cream machine and churn for 30-40 minutes, or according to the manufacterer’s instructions. Once churned, freeze until firm. (Alternatively, if you don’t have an ice cream machine, transfer the custard mixture to a metal or plastic container, set aside to cool, then freeze, stirring the semi-solid mixture with a fork at regular intervals, to break up any lumps.)

6. For the ravioli, blend all of the ravioli ingredients in a food processor, pulsing until the mixture starts to come together as a dough.

7. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth and pliant.

8. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

9. Meanwhile, for the filling, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

10. Drain the Amaretto-soaked cherries.

11. Sprinkle the hazelnuts onto a baking tray and roast in the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until golden-brown and toasted. Set aside to cool slightly, then chop roughly.

12. Bring a little water to the boil in a pan. Reduce the heat until the water is simmering, then suspend a heatproof bowl over the water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.

13. Add the chocolate to the bowl and stir until melted.

14. Bring the double cream to the boil in a pan. As soon as it is at boiling point, add the cream to the melted chocolate and stir until glossy and well combined, to form a ganache.

15. Add the Amaretto-soaked cherries and chopped hazelnuts to the ganache, stirring until evenly mixed. Set aside to cool and thicken.

16. To make the ravioli, flatten the chilled pasta with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 0.5cm/¼in.

17. Pass the pasta dough through a pasta machine set at its widest setting. Fold each end of the rolled pasta dough over the middle section of the dough (so that it ends up one-third of its original length) and re-roll through the same setting.

18. Repeat this process without changing the setting of the pasta machine until the pasta is smooth and supple and rectangular in shape.

19. Decrease the roller setting of the pasta machine by one grade and pass the pasta dough through the rollers once more. Each time you pass the pasta through the rollers, decrease the setting by one grade until you reach the penultimate or final setting.

    Technique: Rolling pasta using a pasta machine

20. Lay the sheet of pasta on a well-floured work surface, then cut out 8 circles using a 7.5cm/3in chefs’ ring, or cookie cutter.

21. Once the chocolate filling has cooled, form teaspoon-sized balls of ganache to place in the centre of four of the pasta circles. Brush the edges of the filled pasta circles with the beaten egg, then place one of the remaining pasta circles on top of each, pressing the edges gently to seal.

22. Transfer the ravioli to a lightly floured baking tray. Cover with a clean tea towel until needed.

23. For the chocolate tuiles, bring a little water to the boil in a pan. Reduce the heat until the water is simmering, then suspend a heatproof bowl over the water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Add the chocolate to the bowl and stir until melted.

24. Remove the bowl from the heat. Spoon a dessert-spoonful of the melted chocolate onto a sheet of acetate or a silicone mat. Smooth gently until thinly and evenly spread.

25. While the chocolate is still warm, carefully wrap the acetate around a rolling pin, with the chocolate facing outwards. Set aside to set.

26. Repeat the process until all of the chocolate has been used up.

27. Once the chocolate tuiles have hardened, peel away the acetate (this is best done just before serving).

28. For the hazelnut butter, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat.

29. Add the hazelnuts, basting them in the melted butter. Continue to heat until the butter begins to foam at the edges and turns golden-brown.

30. Remove the pan from the heat, before the butter burns. Keep warm until needed.

31. Just before serving, cook the ravioli in a pan of boiling water for 1-2 minutes, or until al dente. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain.

32. To serve, place two large pinches of ground almonds either side of the centre of each plate. For each plate, place 1-2 ravioli on one of the piles of ground almonds. Drizzle with the hazelnut butter. Place a scoop of pistachio ice cream on the other pile of ground almonds and garnish with a chocolate tuile.

Less than 30 mins preparation time

1 to 2 hours cooking time

Serves 4