“I think ravioli of langoustine makes a fabulous starter,” says private chef Michel Bru, who is based in Hastings.
“It marries homemade pasta with a very delicate filling of langoustine, along with some different flavours, such as fennel and tarragon, with some different textures. It is not a very easy dish to make, but when you have made your homemade pasta, homemade bisque of langoustine and the nice filling of langoustine, this dish is just amazing.”
How to make ravioli of langoustine with Espelette pepper and shaved fennel, bisque of langoustine
How to make langoustine ravioli
Preparation: 1h
Cooking: 10-15 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
1 egg
6 yolks
250g flour T00
Olive oil
40 small langoustines
50ml of double cream
Terragon
1 tbsp of olive oil
Salt / pepper
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp of tomato puree
50g of flour
1 white egg
100ml of cognac
Fish stock
2 small fennels
Espellete pepper
Vinaigrette dressing
Cress
Method:
1. Prepare the ravioli pasta dough. In a electric mixer with a dough hook, combine 1 egg, 6 yolks, 250g of flour and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Then wrap in clingfilm and let it for a rest for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
2. Prepare the langoustine mix to fill the raviolis. Chop roughly the langoustines tails and take the shells off, then mix these with 1 white egg, some chopped tarragon, 50 ml of double cream, salt and pepper.
3. Roll the pasta dough through the pasta machine two or three, at its widest setting. Reduce the setting and roll the dough through again, two or three times. Continue until the dough is paper-thin and about 1/8-inch thick.
4. Make the ravioli: drop two tablespoons of filling about two inches apart on half the sheet of pasta. Fold the unfilled half over the filling. With your fingers, gently press out air pockets around each mound of filling and form a seal. Use a pastry cutter to cut each ravioli. Check to make sure the crimped edges are well sealed before cooking.
5. Bisque of langoustine: in a pan, heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat and slowly fry the onion, celery, carrots and garlic until the onion becomes soft. Then add two handful of the langoustines. Add some thyme and combine everything, before leaving to cook for five minutes. Deglaze with the cognac. Add the tomato puree and flour, before mixing everything together. Cover with the fish stock and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about one hour. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a pan. Add the cream. Bring to the boil, then season to taste. The bisque needs to be relatively thick.
6. How to serve: shave the fennel through a mandoline as fine as possible. Season the fennel with the vinaigrette dressing and the Espelette pepper. Cook the raviolis in salted water for about 10 to 15 minutes. When the ravioli is ready, make a small pile in the middle of your plate, put your ravioli on the top, then cover your ravioli with the bisque. Finish with a hint of Espelette pepper and by sprinkling cress over the dish.
