Usually I avoid the "easy" recipes because they often leave me feeling like something is missing. This recipe definitely does not! It is quick just because of the nature of the prep methods, not because something is being dumbed down or left out. And the result is oh so wonderful.
Ingredients:
- Store-bought ravioli (~18 ounces)
- 6oz unsalter butter (if you only have salted, you can make it work)
- 2-3T balsamic vinegar
- Salt & Pepper
- Sage (optional)
Instructions:
- Brown your butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. If you've never made brown butter before, it can be a little intimidating, but once you've done it once you'll wonder why you'd ever use regular butter again!
- Put the butter in your pan and heat over medium heat. The butter will start to foam and bubble. This is the water being released from the butter. You can swirl or stir your saucepan occassionally as this progresses. Once the foaming subsides, the fat solids in the butter will start to cook and toast. You'll notice little brown toasty bits in the bottom of your butter, as well as the liquid butter fat starting to take on a nutty color and flavor. The pictures below show first the butter in the initial bubbly/foamy stage and then nearly cooked.
- Once the butter smells nice and toasty/nutty, remove it from the heat. I usually transfer it to a bowl at this point to make sure the cooking stops. The last thing you want is bitter burnt butter.
- Put your balsamic vinegar in a blender (or if you are very good at emulsifying with a whisk, you can leave it in the bowl), turn it on, and slowly drizzle your brown butter into the vinegar. Blend for just a few seconds, until emulsified. Add a pinch of salt and pepper for seasoning. If you want, you could add sage, or other herbs here.
- Meanwhile, cook your ravioli according to the directions on the package. We used goat cheese and basil ravioli from whole foods, which were amazing.
- Toss the ravioli in the brown butter balsamic sauce and serve!
Bon appetite!
What do you think about adding in some walnuts or cashews for crunch? I can't decide if that would be a good addition.
ReplyDeleteYou could certainly add nuts if you're a fan of those kinds of things. I personally think that crisping up some sage in your brown butter, then setting aside and sprinkling on top of your ravioli at the end would be a more successful way to add a different texture. One of the nice things about this recipe, though, is that it can be tweaked many different ways to suit your individual tastes!
ReplyDeleteuoooh Anne this looks yummy!!!!
ReplyDelete