My mother has a friend that loves ravioli. He loves them so much that she decided to throw him a 5-course dinner party—with every course being a different ravioli. A few of the guests came over early and helped us roll the dough and form the ravioli. I was in charge of making the sauces and some of the fillings.
I had the bright idea of making scorecards so everyone could rate the ravioli. And I was obsessively diligent about making the guests fill them out. At the end of the night, the results were a shocker.
Squash and Mascarpone Ravioli with Truffle Butter (from Lumiére Light) – 81 overall score
I was expecting so much more from this recipe since I LOVE Lumiére, but this was just boring to me. I much prefer my Sweet-potato ravioli recipe.
Beet Ravioli with Butter & Poppy Seeds – 74 overall score
A really simple filling, with not many ingredients or spices. It was surprisingly flavorful, considering. Very light and delicious. My third favorite.
Fontina Ravioli with Porcini Sauce – 70 overall score
I once had a wonderful Fontina Val d’Aosta ravioli dish at Brasa, so this was my attempt to recreate it. This was probably my favorite. The ravioli were cheesy pillows that burst with flavor when you bit into them and the creamy porcini sauce was a rich foil.
Smoked Black Cod Ravioli with Baby Leeks and Chive Cream – 74 overall score
My second favorite; mom and I have been making this recipe for years. The filling is a wonderful, delicate mousse and the cream-based sauce is very light.
Beef Ravioli with Tomato Sauce – 54 overall score
This was an adaptation of my Grandmother’s ravioli recipe (minus the sheep brains). It was good, but seemed unsophisticated compared to the other ravs. My least favorite.
