Colin suggests pre-making the agnolotti and freezing them. “Coat the pasta in semolina before freezing, as semolina will not clump and stick the pasta together.”
Serves 8
Ingredients
Taleggio agnolotti
8oz Taleggio
8oz 00 pasta flour
5 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp olive oil
Cauliflower purée
1 tbsp olive oil
2oz chopped shallots
½ head cauliflower
3 cups milk
½ tsp xanthan gum
2oz butter
salt and pepper
Truffle sauce
1/5 cup Madeira
1/2 cupream
1/5 cuptruffle butter
salt to taste
Ice wine gel
750mlGewürztraminer wine
375ml ice wine syrup
ultra tex as needed
Parmesan crumb
1 cup toasted panko
½ cup grated Parmesan
1 tbsp chopped chives
salt to taste
Toasted pecans
½ cup pecans
Vegetable garnish
1/3 cupsmall mixed colored cauliflower florets
8 baby red onions
To serve
1 cup wood ear mushrooms
microgreens
Method
Agnolotti
Cut the cheese into squares and then into triangles, and place in the fridge. Using a food processor, combine all the remaining ingredients and pulse until the ingredients come together. It should look like lumpy sand.
Put the mixture onto a clean countertop and begin to knead. Once it is in a ball, you can start putting it through the pasta machine.
Work the pasta through the pasta machine until it is smooth and looks shiny. Then, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour.Roll the pasta out and punch out 3 inch circles with a cutter. Place a piece of cheese halfway up each circle. Brush with water and fold the rest of the pasta away from you making a semi-circle. Using a cutter upside down, press the pasta down around the cheese, forming a good seal. Then trim with a fluted cutter.
Cauliflower Purée
Place olive oil into a saucepan on medium heat. Cook the shallots for 2 minutes with a pinch of salt. Add the cauliflower and cover with milk and bring to a boil. Cook for 30 minutes until soft. Strain, then add the cooked ingredients to a blender. Blend on high speed, adding a little milk until a smooth vortex begins. Then add the xanthan gum and butter, adjust seasoning and strain.
Truffle Sauce
Reduce the Madeira in a pan to half, add the cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Season to taste.
Ice Wine Gel
Reduce the Gewürztraminer by half over medium heat. Add the ice wine and start adding the ultra tex in small doses, letting it rest for 10 minutes in between. Once it gets to a purée consistency, pass into a piping bag and then into a squeeze bottle.
Parmesan Crumb
Mix the panko and Parmesan, season with salt and chives.
Toasted Pecans
Wet a kitchen towel and wrap the pecans in it.Place them in the oven at 350F for 5-8 minutes. This will steam the nut and not saturate the run. As soon as they come out of the oven, chop them as finely as possible. Then place the nuts back on to a tray and toast them for 5-8 minutes in a 350F oven until golden brown.
Vegetable Garnish
Blanch the vegetables in boiling salted water and refresh in iced water.
To serve
Have a pan of salted, rapidly boiling water ready. Heat up the purée and the vegetables in seasoned butter. Cook the mushrooms on medium heat with butter, salt and pepper. Place the pasta in the boiling water and cook for about 8 minutes. Drop a spoonful of purée on the plate and flick with the back of the spoon, starting at 6 o’clock and moving away from you to 3 o’clock. Sprinkle on the toasted panko and put the ice wine dots on. Lay on the agnolotti, garnishing vegetables, mushrooms, truffle sauce. Then fill in the gaps with toasted pecans and micros.
Chef’s tip
Be careful with the moisture content of the pasta. If the pasta is too dry it will crack when you are trying to make a fold and bend it. Cook the pasta in salted water as putting salt in the pasta itself can cause holes.