For me, this autumn has been gastrocentric. Scrumptious seasonal ingredients and the cool, crisp weather make me want to spend hours in the kitchen, which is exactly what I did this past weekend. In addition to baking apple crumb cake and oatmeal dark chocolate chip cookies, I also made my first ever raviolis.

The inspiration for this meal was my request, maybe it was a demand, for goat cheese and butternut squash, but the recipe is Ben's. I provided the challenge to think up something ideal for fall and he formulated this fun project and delicious meal. I also made sure it was recorded.

Ben is a cheesemonger at The Boston Cheese Cellar in Rosindale, MA so the three goat cheeses in this recipe were readily available to us, but feel free to experiment with others based on your cheese preferences and availability. I recommend to start prepping this dinner early, otherwise you risk not eating until midnight. We snacked on Mousse Trouffe Pate, goat cheese, and prosciutto ciabatta as we cooked, so by the time dinner was ready we could only eat a few raviolis. Luckily, the raviolis and the sauce keep in the refrigerator for a few days and freeze well for later use.

Hope this recipe makes it from my kitchen to yours!

Homemade Ravioli with a Butternut Bucheron Sauce

Goat Cheese Ravioli Filling

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 lb Fresh Goat Cheese, Vermont Butter and Cheese Company
1/4 lb Garrotxa Goat Cheese
1/3 c. Double Devon cream butter
10-12 leaves of sage

DIRECTIONS: Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat until melted. Add sage and cook until butter is browned and sage is crisped. Remove sage from butter, reserve butter, and smash the sage to bits using side of knife blade or a mortar and pestle. In a medium bowl whip together both cheeses, browned butter, and sage sprinkles. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.

Raviolis

INGREDIENTS:
2 c. semolina flour
2 c. all purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. coarse salt

DIRECTIONS: For this step, you will need a large amount of counter space to roll out your pasta dough. Once your work space is cleared and cleaned, sift the flour and salt into a large mound. Create a deep well in the center of your dry mixture. Pour eggs and oil into the well and begin mixing eggs into flour with a fork being careful not to allow eggs to spill onto unfloured surface. Do this until dough is too thick for a fork. Continue with your hands. When it doesn’t easily absorb more flour, when dried bits of collect separately from the dough ball. Set the dough aside and scrape up all the remaining flour and pass it through a sieve to sift out any dried-up bits. Discard the bits and keep the cup or so of sifted flour on the work surface. Continue to knead dough incorporating left over flour until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky. If you find that your dough is particularly dry sprinkle water onto it with your fingers and roll until you reach desired consistency. Let rest under damp towel for ten minutes.

Roll out your pasta dough using rolling pin or pasta machine. Assemble your ravioli using a form or cutter and stamp. Dollop a tablespoon of filling mixture into each ravioli. Refrigerate assembled raviolis for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 days. Boil water and add raviolis stirring occasionally until they float.

Butternut Bucheron Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1 large butternut squash
1/2 apple
1/3 c. Bucheron Aged Goat Cheese

DIRECTIONS: While raviolis are chilling peel butternut squash and cut into ¼ in circular pieces. Place in a medium sauce pan and cover with vegetable stock. Bring stock to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cooking until tender. When tender, reduce heat to low and puree using an immersion blender (TAKE CAUTION HERE FOLKS). Add half an apple, sliced, let apples become tender, and puree again. Crumble Bucheron goat cheese and puree again (you can substitute cream instead of cheese to produce same creamy consistency.) Remove from heat.

Spoon sauce over cooked raviolis. Garnish with crisped sage leaves, apple slices, and Bucheron crumbles. EAT!