Chocolate Tortellini
By Rachel Davies
When I was invited to teach a class at the Chocolate Festival on London’s Southbank, my mind raced. What was I going to teach chocolate lovers that was a bit different to the other classes on offer, but still absolutely delicious?
The answer, as you might have guessed, was Chocolate Tortellini.
Italians will no doubt be appalled by the lessing around with their staple food, but the verdict was a big thumbs up, with plenty of students coming back for a second plate!
It was a freezing cold day, but people still braved the snow to come and make pasta in a tent.
It’s an unusual dessert that will impress your friends, and you can make it ahead of time, cooking the tortellini and coating with the sauce and caramelised nuts to serve.
I wanted to share the recipe with you, as it went down really well. If you don’t have a pasta machine, you can roll out the dough as thinly as you can using lots of flour to stop it from sticking.
Enjoy the recipe, and I should mention that wearing a hat, coat and gloves while you make it is optional.
Mascarpone filled Chocolate Tortellini with Caramelised Pecans in an Orange Cream Sauce.
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Pasta
170g 00 flour
20g cocoa powder
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon olive oil
Zest of 1 orange
For the filling
400g mascarpone
2 teaspoons vanilla paste
For the sauce
100g caster sugar
100ml water
200ml double cream
Zest of 2 oranges, in long strips
For the pecan topping
150g caster sugar
4 tablespoons water
15g glucose
100g pecan halves
Big pinch of sea salt
Chocolate shavings to serve
Method
- For the pasta dough, mix together the flour and cocoa powder. Tip them onto your work surface and make a well in the middle. Pour the eggs, yolks, oil and zest into the well, and using a fork, whisk the liquid gently, bringing in flour slowly from the outside to form a dough.
- Bring the dough together with your hand and knead the dough for 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
- Wrap the dough in clingfilm and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- For the filling, mix the mascarpone and vanilla together and refrigerate until you’re ready to use.
- For the sauce, bring the sugar, water and orange zest to a gentle simmer. When the sugar has dissolved, add the cream and simmer for a further minute. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse.
- To make the caramelised pecans, place the caster sugar and water into a stainless steel saucepan and dissolve over a very low heat, swirling the pan occasionally. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, turn up the heat, then add the glucose and simmer until it turns a golden caramel colour. Working quickly, stir through the pecans and sea salt, turn the mixture onto a baking tray lined with silicone paper and spread it out as much as possible. When cool, break up the mixture, and chop into small pieces.
- Cut the pasta dough into quarters and with one quarter at a time, work through the widest roller of the pasta machine. Fold in two, and repeat this process about 8 times, folding the dough each time. Dust with a little flour if necessary.
- When it is smooth and rectangular, continue rolling through the machine, each time lowering the setting by one notch. Do not fold the dough between rolls. Dust the dough with flour to prevent sticking.
- Take the dough through the machine to the second lowest setting (any lower than this and the dough can fall apart). Lay on a tray dusted lightly with flour, and repeat with the remainder of the dough.
- For the tortellini, cut the dough into squares, and put teaspoons of mascarpone onto the middles of the square. Brush a little water around the filling, and fold one corner over to the opposite corner, expelling all the air with your fingers and seal. Sit the filling up, and bring the corners around to touch each other.
- Cook immediately, or keep covered in the fridge to prevent the pasta drying out.
- Gently reheat the sauce. Boil the fresh pasta for 3-5 minutes in a pan of simmering water, remove with a slotted spoon and serve topped with warm sauce and a sprinkle of caramelised pecans and chocolate shavings.
Important
Sugar turns to caramel at 160°C -190°C. Be very careful about burning yourself. To clean the caramel off the pan, stand back from the pan and add water. Heat gently until the caramel melts into the water, then wash as normal.
Want to learn how to make more delicious food? Sign up to Rachel’s classes.
