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Chocolate Tortellini in Pear Broth




Source of Recipe


msnbc


List of Ingredients




2 tablespoons Armagnac or other fine cognac
2 lemons
4 medium well-shaped pears
3 cups white wine, preferably Chardonnay
1 stick cinnamon
¾ cup sugar
3 cups pear ne

Recipe



Directions
Poached pears should be made a day or more in advance to allow the flavor of the broth to develop.

Drain poaching liquid from pears into large saucepan. You will be starting with about 4 cups; reduce this to 3 cups. At full boil, this takes 10 to 15 minutes.

In a large pasta pot half full of rapidly boiling water cook chocolate Tortellini for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are al dente.

Drain Tortellini, and add to reduced pear broth along with the Armagnac.

Heat soup bowls. Fan cut (do not cut completely through the narrow end so that when slightly flattened, the pear slices fan attractively) and lay a pear half at the side of each bowl.

Ladle in broth and Tortellini.

Note: About keeping: Pasta must be cooked close to serving time; the dough will lose its texture if it remains in the broth for too long, especially if kept warm.

Chocolate Tortellini
Ingredients

3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon orange zest
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon hot water
1 tablespoon melted bittersweet chocolate
1 egg, at room temperature
¾ cup semolina flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, beaten

Directions
To make the ganache
Stir the cream, orange zest, chopped chocolate, and butter in a double boiler over barely simmering water until melted. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm.

To make the pasta
Combine the cocoa and hot water and stir to make a paste. Place the cocoa mixture, the melted chocolate, egg, semolina flour, and the 2 tablespoons sugar in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and blend for 5 minutes, or until the ingredients are combined.

Remove the dough from the mixer and knead by hand until smooth, adding a little four if the dough is too sticky.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll the dough out to a 1/16-inch thick piece and cut into twenty four 2½-inch squares.

To make the tortellini
Place about 1 teaspoon of the ganache in the center of each square. Brush 2 of the edges with the egg, fold over the square to form a triangle, and pinch the edges to seal.

Pull the 2 points on the long side together and pinch firmly to form the tortellini.

Drop the tortellini into simmering water for 3 minutes, or until they float. Drain and set aside.