Foie Gras-Stuffed Ravioli: Moments of Luxury

foie gras and wild mushroom raviolo

There’s a show on public television here in America called “Moment of Luxury” in which the host very generously enjoys all manner of fine things on our behalf and then shares his collected pensees about the experience. Traveling around the food blogosphere lately has felt like a surprisingly similar experience for us since our three month old prevents us from experiencing any luxury ourselves.

Tough titty, I hear you cry. Fair enough, we have lived rather high on the hog these last several years and have been blessed with several unforgettable moments of luxury along the way, but like the princess and the pea, we are finding our current rather straightened circumstances somewhat uncomfortable.

Turning over a new (year’s) leaf, determined to gripe no longer and return to being active participants in our (gastronomic) lives, we had a deuce of a time this past weekend putting together some foie gras and wild mushroom ravioli, in the hope we would be able to enjoy at least one or two moments of luxury. Inspired by ZenChef’s oxtail and foie gras ravioli and our experience eating escargot-stuffed ravioli in France (both) around this time last year (when we bought the can of foie gras we used), we took a brief flight of fancy in the accompanying sauce, combining porcini stock, balsamic vinegar and red currants into a sort of impromptu agrodolce. Some dry roasted wild mushrooms completed this, quite frankly, sublime dish.

foie gras and wild mushroom raviolo

Savoring these rich and blissful parcels certainly felt like a moment of luxury. Indeed, when we were roused moments later from this temporary reverie by infantile caterwails echoing from the nursery, these few seconds of pleasure were all the more significant providing much-needed encouragement for us to gird our loins once more for our nightly skirmishes with our darling offspring.

Foie Gras, Pate and Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Red Currant Balsamic Gastrique

Ingredients for the Ravioli:

Ingredients for the Sauce:

  • 2 cups porcini stock
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 handful red currants
  • 1 large pinch granulated sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2oz unsalted butter

Ravioli Recipe:

  1. In a saute pan, melt butter and gently saute mushrooms for five minutes.
  2. Add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  3. Turn heat to high and when pan is really hot, add muscat wine. Allow to evaporate almost completely.
  4. Remove from heat, and refrigerate mixture until completely cooled.
  5. In a mixing bowl, combine mushroom mixture with foie gras and pate. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
  6. Fill ravioli with 1 tablespoon of foie gras and mushroom mixture, and seal carefully.
  7. In abundant salted boiling water cook ravioli for about a minute or until they start to float.
  8. Dress with sauce and serve immediately with roasted mushrooms.

Recipe for the sauce:

  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, reduce porcini stock with balsamic vinegar and red currants by half.
  2. Stir in sugar and crush red currants.
  3. Strain sauce and return to pan. Stir in butter.
  4. Taste and correct seasoning.

20 thoughts on “Foie Gras-Stuffed Ravioli: Moments of Luxury

  1. Once upon a time I swore I would never eat foie gras. Then I tried it. My journey to the dark side was complete. Now of course my consicience, waistline, and wallet have all been compromised. 😉

    I’m a pretty simply living girl of humble means. Luxury is not something I have much time and money for, but I see this recipe and think I’m a bit due for some luxury, no?

  2. We are on the same wavelength these days…. I am craving food luxuries and searching for ways to steal little bits of it for these cold unyielding winter days. Wonderful luxury in this ravioli… I must give this a try!! Beautiful photos, this would make a squalling baby sound like opera (almost!).

  3. Wow, what a concept!! This is taking ravioli to a whole new level… I can see this being a really delicious appetizer for a luxury dinner party. One for everyone 🙂

  4. I saw this when you posted it and saved it for a time when I could fully appreciate it. I don’t know Moments of Luxury, but I could definitely see this on The Best Thing I Ever Ate!!
    This with a glass of champagne and I’d be in foodie heaven.
    P.S. I almost missed the link to that cutie patootie. What a joy!

  5. It’s grea tto enjoy lifes little luxuries once in a while and I think culinary splurges are my favorite way 😉 The ravioli look perfectly executed.

  6. You keep girding your loins like this and you’ll end up with another baby in no time.

    Also, I buy little pieces of foie at a local market and use them in small appetizery applications. Lots of decadent bang for very little buck. And isn’t that what marriage is all about?

  7. I love Moments of Luxury! It makes me feel very posh (as would these ravioli).

    And, holy crap, Congratulations! I’ve been away from the blogosphere for a couple of months and you two go and reproduce on me! 😀

    You’ll have to bring the little one down to NJ for some of our ice cream that we sell at the farmers market (we can also have a grown-up moment of luxury treating ourselves to a sushi lunch!)

  8. Adorable baby pic! Foie gras and the bambino in the same post – now that’s what I call a great food blog!

  9. Looks delicious and is an inspiration! I made a huge batch of chicken and duck liver pate with duck fat that was scrumptious and I have plenty left over. I was thinking hmmm… ravioli pate and searched it and found this site! So, once again thanks for the inspiration!!

    1. @Ann: Thanks for visiting and your lovely comment. We hope the ravioli turned out great. We recently made chicken liver and sage stuffed ravioli adapting this recipe to make it with a Cognac cream sauce, pomegranate seeds and crispy lamb sweetbreads, and it did not disappoint!

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