Ravioli Spotlight: Wild Mushroom

Always at the top of our most popular ravioli is the Wild Mushroom.  Without boasting, we like to think ours is the best mushroom ravioli available both in retail and at restaurants across the city.  We have seen it paired with a variety of sauces, from tomato based to cream based sauces.  Here is our favorite preparation, Wild Mushroom ravioli with Oregon Hazelnut Cream and Chanterelle Relish (aka Chanterelish), which features some other Classic favorites.

For the relish, clean chanterelles, and cut lengthwise, maybe twice or three times for big chanterelles, just in half for smaller ones.  Heat olive oil in large skillet, saute until they start leeching water.  Add half the minced shallots and deglaze with white wine, saute until dry, then remove from skillet and place on a plate and chill.  Once cooled, in a large bowl mix with shallots, parsley, mustard, pickled asparagini, and sherry vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the hazelnut cream, heat your oven to 350 degrees, then spread your hazelnuts on a sheet pan.  Toast in five minute increments, rotating sheet pan and checking to make sure they don’t burn.  Cool, add peeled hazelnuts* to your food processor, and process until the nuts become hazelnut butter, set aside.

Prepare a sachet** of allspice berries and cloves, then pour your cream into a large saucepan and set on burner on medium heat.  Add your sachet, garlic and shallots, and steep cream until it just starts to boil.  Remove from heat, remove your sachet, then add your hazelnut butter, and blend with immersion blender to incorporate the hazelnut butter and blend your garlic and shallots.  Season with apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, then pour over ravioli.  Garnish with crushed hazelnuts and chanterelle relish, then serve.

*an easy way to peel hazelnuts is by putting your fully cooled hazelnuts into your mixing bowl and using your whisk attachment at low speed to shake the skins off.  You can usually pick them out and leave the skins in the bowl,  or you can pour them into a perforated pan and shake them off that way.

** I like to use cheesecloth and butcher’s twine to make a sachet, but you can use a coffee filter, a tea ball, or a sieve, anything that you can easily remove without spilling the spices into the sauce